Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay Was Cut From A Different Cloth (w/ Zak Keefer)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Today, we remember the life and legacy of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Ursay. Let's get to it. You are locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. All right, everybody. Thanks for tuning in and making us your first All right, everybody. Tha and making us your first is your daily podcast cov

Starting point is 00:00:30 Colts part of the locked team every day. What is u is Jake Arthur of horsesh as I mentioned from the t today, honoring the life owner Jim Ursay. He of course passed away in his sleep Wednesday afternoon. A little bit unexpected. He had began suffering some health issues, some more serious ones around December 2023. And since then his public appearances had become less and less, but certainly not the news

Starting point is 00:01:05 that we really expected to hear Wednesday afternoon. Kind of a gut punch, to say the least. After it was announced, the NFL community, the Central Indiana community, the sports world, just remembrances and condolences came pouring in. You could see from former Colts players and personnel, it was just palpable what emotions they were feeling as they really kind of agonized over the news that they were hearing. And so, yeah, this just goes to show there was a couple images of Ursa, you know, nationally. He was a very outspoken owner. Certainly someone out in the spotlight a little more than others, but kind of a unique cat,

Starting point is 00:01:49 all of his own. Kind of the hippie, rock and roll type of owner that was just kind of cut from a different cloth. But here locally, we knew him as something that, of course, but a much more generous person, even beyond that. Um, and I think what's even more endearing is, you know, we've all seen the Twitter contests, how generous he was with that. Uh, we've seen, you know, he passed him passing out straight catch

Starting point is 00:02:18 during training camp to fans. Uh, we've seen that that's all very out in the open. Uh, but just how many things I have seen and heard, not only in the last 24 hours, but over the last several years, just little stories and anecdotes of things he kind of did behind the scenes in the dark without wanting other people to see it.

Starting point is 00:02:39 This was definitely a rich billionaire guy who I think lived the way a lot of us would perhaps want to do that. I think Kyle Brandt from Good Morning Football said that very well. He liked cool stuff and he wanted to pay it forward. He is definitely not the kind of guy who is just going to hold on to all of his own money. He wanted to make the world a better place and share what he could. And, you know, he became the owner of the Colts in 1997. He took this franchise from kind of a laughing stock

Starting point is 00:03:14 and an erratic, chaotic leadership under his father, Bob Orsay, that ultimately, you know, moved the Colts out of Baltimore and here to Indianapolis, took them from an awful team, again, a laughing stock to a team that, you know, sat near the top of the mountain in the NFL landscape for a while. He went and traded for Bill Polian, who is one of the greatest roster architects in NFL history. They then used the first round pick in 98 on Peyton Manning after getting Edwin James the year before and then Marvin Harrison shortly before that. Edwin James is actually year after, of course. But no, they turned this team around in a hurry. They literally were three and 13 Peyton's rookier and then 13 and three the year after. And then from that, just after

Starting point is 00:04:04 solid roster building and investing in the right players, they really turned this thing around and as a result, turn the city of Indianapolis around. There are so many things that are different now, obviously, than when you look 20 or so years ago, but just the money that this team and Ursay himself has generated into the city is just, it's really hard to put into words. Personally, I was with the Colts from 2018 to 2020, writing for their website. And I just, I heard of so many things about him behind the scenes.

Starting point is 00:04:44 I just, I heard of so many things about him behind the scenes. I work with Andrew Walker who shared on Twitter last night, every team employee on their birthday would get like a crisp $100 bill and a birthday card for their birthday from a billionaire who doesn't even have to show his face let alone acknowledge that his employees exist. I think that's very different to see in a lot of aspects when with people who are super rich, there's a pretty big disconnect between them and the common man. But I think or say, of course, was just a guy who again, a unique cat come from a different cloth, and he certainly will be missed. So here in a moment guys, I'll shut up.

Starting point is 00:05:25 I'll bring you the conversation I had with Zach Kiefer from the athletic. Again, he was on the beat for the Colts with the Indy star and with the athletic. He was with that, covered the Colts for over a decade. He's still with the athletic now covering the NFL nationally. But had a good relationship with Jim Ursay.

Starting point is 00:05:44 I think he can share a lot of unique things about that relationship. And then really what's also to expect next, because I do think that's naturally a question we all have is, you know, this is very sad, but the Indianapolis Colts franchise will still exist beyond this, so what comes next? So with that, we're gonna hear from Zach Kiefer

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Starting point is 00:06:50 quality hires. So again, post your job for free at linkedin.com locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com locked on NFL to post your job for free terms and conditions apply. Alright, so I had to go out and get one of the absolute best people to speak on this topic today and that is Zach Kiefer of The Athletic. He covers the NFL nationally now, but he was here on the beat with the Colts for a decade.

Starting point is 00:07:17 And I've got to imagine, you know, a guy like Jim Orsay certainly made your life very interesting. I mean, I read a piece that you wrote this morning, and it was a nice little kind of look behind the curtain at kind of access the special access that a guy like like that would would give to us in our position. Yeah, Jake, interesting is a good word, but it probably doesn't do full justice, right? So after I left the Colts beat

Starting point is 00:07:45 to sort of move to a national beat, I travel around the country and I'm at every NFL training camp, games all over the place. And the one question I get more than any other from beat writers, from agents, from assistant coaches, from executives is what is Jim Ursay really like? And I always tell them like, how much time do you have? Cause this could be a 10 minute answer,

Starting point is 00:08:09 this could be a three hour answer. And that's what a relationship with Jim Ursay was like. You know, you get into sports cause you love sports, but also I got into sports coverage because I was fascinated by the people in the game and around the game. And I don't think I'll ever meet anyone as interesting, as unique as Jim Mercer. You know this, anyone who's been around the Indianapolis media market

Starting point is 00:08:30 knows this. I always thought that his perception nationally was one thing. And it was almost a polar opposite in Indianapolis. And I'll remember Jim Mercer, not for the rambling press conferences and the bold statements, three Lombardies and all that. I will remember the man and sometimes these very private intimate moments he would call me late at night. And we would talk football for hours and it was really cool. And I know my beat writing friends across the NFL were very jealous that I had that kind of relationship with the owner. But you know, it took time, it took trust and that we didn't always get along, but

Starting point is 00:09:10 he was one of one in so many ways, and I will be forever grateful that I got to cover the team that he owned. Yeah, I always thought it was interesting where, you know, those of us who have spoken to him and everything, it always seemed to be after a piece where, you know, maybe it didn't necessarily go in the most positive light his way, but he was always willing to talk it out. I would try. I think is is very incredibly rare. So for you, obviously it's very again, unique for an owner to be that way. But what I guess how has this helped? You know, what have you taken away from this in your career? Just those those moments to get that perspective from an owner. I mean, a lot of us, we kind of have to put pieces together ourselves.

Starting point is 00:09:51 But you actually had the owner of a team kind of gleaming how they see things a little bit. I have a friend who covers the commanders and he would ask me how often I got to chat with Jim Ursay, and this was when Dan Snyder owned the Washington football team. And I said, I talked to him all the time, calls, texts, et cetera. And he said, I've been in a room with Dan Snyder one time in 10 years. So that's, that's the other side of the spectrum. And Ursay was certainly not normal and certainly not predictable. And he was authentic in his own way. But two parts to answer your question.

Starting point is 00:10:29 One, he was a unique NFL character. Forget the media side of it. He was 12 years old when he sat down in a spot in a lunch room in Baltimore and was having lunch and Johnny United said, move your ass, kid. Like that was his welcome to the NFL moment. Yeah. And yeah, he was the son of the owner, but that wasn't easy. That didn't make his life easy.

Starting point is 00:10:51 His dad was a horrendous owner, maybe the worst in league history. And Jimmy had to get on the bus and apologize to coaches and teammates after his dad had fired the coaching staff after a pre-season game. Like think about that statement. Life was wartime back then. That's what Jim Mercer told me once

Starting point is 00:11:09 of working under his father, who fired him more times than he could count. So on one end, he had this unbelievably unique NFL existence. I mean, he grew up idolizing the Roonies and the Hunts and the Hallis's, and he considered them his big brothers, his idols in the game, and he cherished those big brothers, his idols in the game and he cherished those relationships. You know on the media side all we want to do as reporters is tell the fans

Starting point is 00:11:34 what they don't know, right? So whether you agree with the Colts and I certainly didn't agree with their say all the time but if I could tell the readers and the audience and the listeners what the team thought when they made this decision, that then I'm doing my job. And he let me do that. He would call me and he would tell me what the team was thinking. And I would push back and say, Well, this doesn't make sense to me, Jim, or why are you gonna do that? I mean, remember, they've churned through like 58 quarterbacks in the last five years. So I lived that in a way with Jim Ursay because they were trying to find this quarterback and they still haven't found him. We'll see this year. But if you can, you know, if you can let the reader and the fans know what the team is

Starting point is 00:12:17 thinking, I feel like we've done our job. Doesn't mean they got it right. Doesn't mean they're going to win games, but he didn't keep us in the dark. And the other thing I loved about Jim Mercer is the man didn't believe in cliches. He did not sit at the podium and give us BS. He said what he thought. Now he would go over here and over here and over here and we would have jokes about how many different topics we could get into one press conference and it wore me out. And I don't want to speak for everybody, but Mike Chappell has years on me on the beat. And the amount of transcriptions he's done for Jim Mercy press conferences trumps

Starting point is 00:12:54 everybody. But you get into football, and the great thing about the NFL is it's so fascinating, and it's so entertaining, and it's so different week to week. But you get into it for the characters. And he was one of one, like I said earlier. And he kept it real with us. He never BS'd us. And it was, no two days were the same on the Cold Speak, that's for sure. Yeah, and you mentioned kind of the national perception

Starting point is 00:13:21 versus the local one. And despite how much he did like, you know, being out there in front and speaking on things, he did a lot of, you know, he's very philanthropic guy. He did a lot of that like charity and just generous things just in the dark without people knowing. And I think that's again, super unique. Cause again, there were the things, there was a Twitter contest that everyone can see there's walking around at Grand Park handing out money.

Starting point is 00:13:50 But the guy just wanted to be generous and kind of pay it forward at all times no matter who was looking. So I think that's that's certainly something endearing for him. And then one more thing I wanted to kind of tackle with you real quick. I think a lot of people, you know, are kind of wondering what's next, obviously. There is a little bit of precedence with this with Carly and Kaylyn being in the building, you know, as much as they are.

Starting point is 00:14:17 We've seen back in 2014, they kind of had to take the reins a little bit. So can you explain the dynamic a little bit? Like for me, generally, I can say, you know, Carly has been really, really involved with like football operations. I think she took Vice President role in 2008. And then Kaylyn is kind of out in front with a lot of those philanthropic efforts. So for people who are wondering like, what's next, can you kind of explain a little bit the dynamic there? like what's next? Can you kind of explain a little bit the dynamic there? Yeah, as far as I understand it, and these are Jim Merse's words, these are conversations I've had with him in the last couple of years. Carly Ursaid Gordon, the oldest of the three sisters, will be the primary owner of this team. Now, the language and how it is presented might be all three of them, right? Casey Floyd is not as involved as the other two, but that doesn't mean

Starting point is 00:15:07 her name isn't on the title as one of the three vice owners. But look, I mean, everyone around the team knows that Carly has been an increasing presence in the building, in the draft room, on the sideline during games with a headset. She has essentially been taking a crash course on how to become an NFL owner. Not unlike her father took 30 years ago when his dad, Bob Ursay, said,

Starting point is 00:15:32 "'I want you to learn this organization from the ground up.'" Jim started as a ball boy, worked in the equipment room, worked in ticketing and sales, and eventually became a GM at 24. Now, Carly Ursay GordonGordon will be the primary owner of this team, as far as I understand, moving forward. I don't expect anything to change in terms of Pete Ward's role as the COO.

Starting point is 00:15:52 For fans who don't know Pete Ward well, this guy runs the thing. I mean, he absolutely runs everything that's the non-football side of the Indianapolis Colts. He's been with the team since he was hiding out in Jim Ursa's van when they were leaving Baltimore under the snow in 1984. So he's a lifer as well. Chris Fallon will remain in charge of the football operations that side of the building. But this is Carly's show. This has been

Starting point is 00:16:18 well in the works for several years. Now, Jim, this was really important to him. The Colts are not leaving Indianapolis, I got that question. And the Colts are not being sold. And that is very important to him. And I can almost guarantee you that that is something he passed on to his daughters. The Colts were not a job to him. They were not a passion to him. They were his life. And he intended it to stay in the family. So this has been in the works for several years. They have been preparing for this. But I expect Carly to be the more front and focal person moving forward. Yeah, yeah, that's, that's certainly, that certainly seems to be, you know, they haven't made any formal announcements yet. But like you mentioned, that's kind of been in the works for quite some time. So I know if there's someone more qualified than Carly, I really don't know.

Starting point is 00:17:09 Cuz like you said, you've seen her on the sidelines, you see her at practice throughout training camp with the tablet, with the headset and everything. So she's been very, very engaged for a long time. So certainly, I don't think they're prepared for any sort of blips with this. I think they're very prepared. So thanks again, Zach, for joining us. Obviously not the easiest last 24 hours for for people in Indianapolis.

Starting point is 00:17:31 But I appreciate you coming on and sharing some of your thoughts. For sure. Thanks for having me, Jake. All right. Thanks, man. All right. Thanks again, Zach, for joining us. I think that was a really important chat to hear from someone who did actually have a personal relationship with her say. So I feel like I learned even more than I did before. I hope you guys did as well. Thanks again for joining us today and making locked on culture first listen of the day. Now if you're next listen please check out locked on NFL scouting the NFL draft is over but the roster moves and news never stop. Host Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino will make you the most informed NFL fan this off season.

Starting point is 00:18:08 Find Locked On NFL Scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you want to become a Locked On Colts insider, chat with Zach and I directly, have us answer your questions, get the inside scoop of what's going on behind the scenes, follow the link in our show notes. If you don't already, please follow at locked on Colts at Jake Arthur NFL and at Zach Hicks too on Twitter. We're also on Tik TOK and Instagram as well. Also, please be sure to subscribe on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, we would love those ratings interviews as well. And with that, you guys have

Starting point is 00:18:41 a great night and we will see you tomorrow.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay Was Cut From A Different Cloth (w/ Zak Keefer)

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