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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Indianapolis Colts, and the state of Indiana as a whole, lost one of its key contributors in owner Jim Irsay last month after battling health issues.
Dallas Clark, who played nine seasons with the Colts and helped them win a Super Bowl in 2006, was one of many former and current players, executives and coaches who attended Irsay’s funeral.
While everyone remains in mourning, Clark said he truly understood what Irsay meant to the Colts and the game of football after learning more than he ever could among his peers.
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Dallas Clark is inducted into the Ring of Honor during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. (IndyStar USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images)
“At his funeral, just crazy the things I learned about him,” Clark told Fox News Digital while attending Tight End University yet again as one of the key legends among the group of more than 80 participants. “About being the youngest general manager, and it all kind of made sense. This man has lived this game of football every day of his life, and we were just so honored to represent him and his family. What a huge, huge loss.”
Clark recalled the time he was drafted by the Colts, when general manager Bill Polian and the front office took the star out of Iowa 23rd overall in 2003. While he was just trying to make a good impression on his new NFL team, Clark also got to see the type of owner Irsay was.
“Didn’t understand it at first, like, ‘I don’t know why you guys need me. You’re freaking loaded,'” Clark said about being drafted by Indianapolis. “I remember getting in that huddle the first time and was like, ‘This is going to be interesting.’
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“But being around [Irsay], seeing the impact he had on the city. He truly loved his players and took care of us, and we weren’t just an investment, we weren’t just a side gig. He lived Colts football.”
Irsay took ownership of the Colts in 1995 following a legal battle after the death of his father. Before then, Irsay was the general manager of the team from 1982 to 1996 and became the NFL’s youngest owner at age 37.
Since then, the Colts have had massive success with Peyton Manning as their quarterback, but they have been in flux since Manning left the team and Andrew Luck abruptly retired.
Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, speaks to the fans at Reggie Wayne’s induction into the Ring of Honor at Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 18, 2018 in Indianapolis. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Other than caring about his Colts, Clark knew how much Irsay meant to the community, and it was not a grandiose display every time he did so.
“He was the epitome of what giving back, what truly caring, truly embracing the state of Indiana, the whole Colts nation, the organization,” Clark said. “I’m hoping all the owners have learned something from him, about him, and how you handle yourself and how you be a true owner of representing your team. The power that he would have, and the impact he would make – so many things he did were under the radar. That’s the beautiful thing about him: he wasn’t trying to get himself in the spotlight or anything like that. He was always trying to find a way to make an impact.”
While Clark is sad that “Mr. Irsay” will not be in Lucas Oil Stadium anymore on gamedays, he is excited to see how his three daughters – Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson – honor their father and run the team in their own way.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, right, gives retiring Dallas Clark a Colts jersery at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center Indianapolis. (TMB/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“I know the girls are going to do a phenomenal job of honoring him and keeping his legacy strong in the front of their direction, but also make it their own and find ways to make it their own and change things for the good,” Clark said.
“The impact he had on so many people, this is going to be a tough one. So happy they’re going to honor him the first week, put him in the Ring of Honor, and it’s going to be a special day.”
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