Jim Irsay passed away on Wednesday. His last public statement was this: “Go PACERS. Good luck to Herb, the entire @Pacers organization, and our city!” So I’m calling Wednesday’s win over the Knicks, “The Jim Irsay Game.”
Simon (L) and Irsay (photo, Indy Star)
Who is Herb? He is the Pacers’ owner. It was out of true respect for Irsay to name Mr. Simon. Herb and Mel Simon, the longtime owners of the Pacers, helped guide an impossibly young Jim Irsay to move the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis. Jim did that with a reckless alcoholic father, one so untrustworthy that John Elway refused to play for him.
Jim Irsay stayed the course, but he also had the demons. He was a bodybuilder and the GM at 24. After the move to Indy, after his father died, the demons stayed, and so did the resolve.
The organization? Irsay leaned on and lifted many great people—Hall of Fame-level coaches and management—Pagano, Dungy, Arians, Polian, Mora, Erikson, and more.
The Pacers WENT too, reflecting Irsay’s Colts’ success. Obi Toppin dunks a miss like Gary Brackett, forcing a fumble on Jerome Bettis. Aaron Neismith goes full Dominic Rhodes in the Super Bowl. Tyrese Haliburton was wrapped in one by Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Peyton Manning.
The City? That was important to Jim Irsay. Miracles must happen in a small market, and Irsay believed in Indianapolis. They say Lucas Oil Stadium was the house that Manning built, and Irsay would agree, even though he was the one who did. Irsay spoke his mind, but he was humble, too.
Irsay was a fan—a gritty, loyal teammate who believed. Tonight, the Pacers delivered, and Jim Irsay would’ve loved it. There was no quit in the team, and a little luck.
Do you want to know about the ups and downs of life, luck, spirit, and life? Watch that game. It had Jim Irsay’s fingerprints all over it. The game was a team effort, a coaching masterpiece, a king-maker, a symphony of small-market breakthroughs.
Joe Dumars had a miracle Game 3 of the Finals in the ‘90s. Isiah Thomas and Coach Chuck Daly had to pull him aside after they won with his on-fire performance. And they told Dumars his father had passed. Joe laughed and cried. He said, “That’s why that rainbow shot went in…,” Isiah Thomas has told that story multiple times.
The Pacers’ win tonight is great for the city, and Jim Irsay had to touch that Tyrese shot. So I’m calling it “The Jim Irsay Game,” for Indy.
Get some rest now, Jim. Thank you.
