Robert "Bob" Irsay (March 5, 1923 – January 14, 1997) was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League (NFL)'s Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise from 1972 until his death in 1997. He was the father of current Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Robert Irsay became owner of the Colts on July 26, 1972, when he traded his recently-acquired Los Angeles Rams to Carroll Rosenbloom for the Colt franchise. Irsay had purchased the...

In Baltimore, Irsay gained a reputation as a vocal, hands-on NFL team owner, both on and off the field. Even so, he developed a well-loved team that built upon its winning history that already included three NFL championships. By the early 1980s, Irsay’s team faced significant challenges.

The son of businessman Robert Irsay (1923–1997), who acquired the Baltimore franchise in 1972 for $12 million and moved them to Indianapolis in 1984, Irsay was general manager of the Colts from 1984 to 1996.

A native of the "Bucktown" section of Chicago, he joined the US Marines in 1942, joined his father's business in 1946, and founded the Robert Irsay Company of Skokie, IL, in 1952. Mr. Irsay was particularly proud to have his son, Jim, follow his interest in football and the Colts franchise.

Jan 15, 1997 · Robert Irsay, an NFL pioneer in franchise free agency, died Tuesday in Indianapolis nearly 14 months after suffering a stroke that incapacitated him. He was 73.

Jan 15, 1997 · INDIANAPOLIS — Robert Irsay, who in 1984 sneaked the Colts out of Baltimore in the middle of the night to Indianapolis, died today, more than a year after suffering a stroke. He was 73.

Jan 14, 1997 · INDIANAPOLIS: Colts owner Robert Irsay died in Indianapolis Tuesday, almost 12 years after he packed up his team and fled Baltimore under the cover of darkness.

American businessman and NFL club owner Robert “Bob” Irsay (March 5, 1923 – January 14, 1997) shaped professional football history. Irsay’s tenure as Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts owner, especially in moving the team, is notable in NFL history.

Jan 15, 1997 · Robert Irsay, the owner of the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts and the man who moved the team out of Baltimore under the cover of darkness in 1984, died...