UPDATE: The Indianapolis Colts, owned by SMU alumnus Jim Irsay ’82, played the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl LXIV. Irsay’s team won the Super Bowl in 2007.
Clark Hunt ’87 and Jim Irsay ’82 are members of one of the country’s most exclusive clubs, a privilege that comes with the best seats in the house. Each alumnus owns one of 32 highly coveted National Football League franchises.
“Clark’s a very good friend,” says Irsay. “It’s great to see another Mustang there at the NFL owners’ meetings.”
Jim Irsay ’82 (right) talks strategy with quarterback Peyton Manning (center) and Colts president Bill Polian.Hunt shares that SMU spirit. “It’s with a certain sense of pride that I see Jim across the table at the owners’ meetings.”
The two men followed in the footsteps of legendary fathers.
Hunt was named the Kansas City Chiefs’ chair of the board in 2005 preceding the death of his father, Lamar ’56, in late 2006. He represents the interests of the Lamar Hunt family in the franchise. The late Lamar Hunt was a member of the SMU Board of Trustees and served on numerous University committees. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1973.
Irsay, owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts, inherited control of the team in January 1997 after the death of his father, Robert. The late Mr. Irsay is probably best known for moving the Colts to Indianapolis from their longtime Baltimore home in 1984.
The Colts played the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl LXIV Feb. 7, marking the team’s fourth appearance in franchise history in the Super Bowl.
Irsay is quick to praise the legacy of the Chiefs’ founder, whom he credits as a key mentor. “There will never be another Lamar Hunt. He was brilliant and unique in his creative thinking,” Irsay says. “Lamar was like an uncle to me. He inspired me and was informative through the years.”
Clark Hunt ’87 pays a post-game visit to the Kansas City Chiefs’ locker room.
In recent years, stadium projects have topped the agendas of both team owners.
Irsay spearheaded the drive for the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The 63,000-seat, multipurpose facility opened to rave reviews in August 2008. The Colts will host Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012, with an anticipated local economic impact of approximately $400 million, according to Irsay.
The Chiefs’ new Arrowhead Stadium is undergoing a $375 million renovation that’s scheduled for completion in time for the 2010 season. Clark Hunt and his family have contributed $125 million of their own funds toward the remodeling and expansion, as well as the club’s new state-of-the-art practice facility that will keep the team in Kansas City through 2031.
Hunt recently hired Scott Pioli, architect of the New England Patriots’ three Super Bowl-winning teams, to run the Chiefs’ football operations.
“It’s been a tremendous pleasure working with Scott these past six months. I have been impressed by how thoughtful he is in making decisions and how he values the input of those around him,” Hunt says.
The Colts also experienced management changes, with the retirement of former coach Tony Dungy and the ascension of assistant head coach Jim Caldwell to replace him. Having Peyton Manning as quarterback likely eased the transition
for Caldwell in his first season at the helm.
Hunt is striving to attain a prize that Irsay wrapped his arms around a few years ago: the Vince Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl (a name coined by Lamar Hunt in the mid-1960s). Irsay’s Colts beat Chicago 29-17 to win Super Bowl XLI in February 2007. Hunt’s Chiefs are still seeking their first Super Bowl appearance since upsetting Minnesota 23-7 in Super Bowl IV in January 1970.
Despite their hectic schedules, Hunt and Irsay stay connected to their alma mater.
Hunt serves on the SMU Board of Trustees and the Executive Board of the Cox School of Business.
First in his undergraduate class at Cox, Hunt was a four-year soccer letterman
and a tri-captain his senior year. He cites both experiences as being useful in
his current role with the Chiefs.
“My experience at the business school laid the framework for what I’ve done professionally, [but] playing soccer at SMU gave me an insight into team sports and helped from a leadership standpoint,” he says.
Irsay and his wife, Meg, have funded an annual scholarship for an Indiana high school graduate to matriculate at SMU. He remembers the Hilltop as an incubator for his off-the-field interests in music and film.
As an undergraduate broadcast journalism major, he made a short documentary film after John Lennon’s death in 1980. He showed it during late-night screenings at several Dallas-area venues.
“I had an unremarkable career playing football at SMU – only played in ’78 before I got injured,” he recalls. “It was kind of like a George Plimpton (author of the football classic Paper Lion) experience for me. I hadn’t played since my freshman year of high school. But I found my rhythm by pursuing the things I loved at SMU.”
– Whit Sheppard ’88