James Irsay was born on 13 June 1959, in Lincolnwood, Illinois USA, of Hungarian and Polish descent. Jim is a businessman and CEO, best known as the owner of the National Football League (NFL) team, the Indianapolis Colts. He’s also been responsible for a few rule changes in the league throughout the years. All his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Jim Irsay? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $2.3 billion, mostly accumulated through his family’s riches and his investments. He was born into a family already familiar with business and wealth. It is expected that as the years go on his wealth will continue to increase.
Jim Irsay Net Worth $2.3 Billion
Jim attended Loyola Academy and after matriculating, went to Southern Methodist University to study broadcast journalism. He also played for the school’s football team but an injury stopped his playing career. He graduated in 1982, completing his degree and later became a part of the NFL’s Baltimore Colts staff, a team that his father Robert Irsay owned.
After two years with the Colts, he became the General Manager and Vice-President of the team – this was during the time that the Colts moved to Indianapolis. In 1995, Irsay became the Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer while still retaining his position a s General Manager. After his father passed away in 1997, Jim would become the youngest NFL team owner at the age of 37, beating his stepmother over the rights of ownership to the team. Under Irsay’s management, the Colts became very successful with acquisitions such as Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. He’s also been responsible for trades that included the acquisition of Eric Dickerson during 1987, among many others. Jim was also responsible for bringing a change to some rules and giving certain rough plays suffer appropriate fines. He also oversaw most of the outside activity of the Colts organization, and has been very vocal about maintaining the image of the NFL, for example disapproving of other owners who use inappropriate words.
Aside from football, Jim has many investments, especially in the music industry. He owns various collectible guitars from Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Elvis Presley and John Lennon; he also has a drum set that belonged to Ringo Starr. Irsay also has investments in the ventilation, air conditioning and heating industries which have helped raise his net worth dramatically while he still manages the football team.
For his personal life it is known that Jim was married to Meg Coyle during 1980 but they divorced in 2013; they have three daughters and were already separated 10 years before their divorce. Irsay also took some time off from the team to rehabilitate from a drug addiction, with one of his daughters taking over management during that time. According to reports, he was arrested for DUI and suspicion of drug possession. He also had a mistress who died from an overdose of drugs. Aside from these, Jim’s also been active in politics, helping Harry Reid and John Edwards for some time.
