Advertisement

Jim Irsay proud of Hall of Fame entrants Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy

By The Sports Xchange
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay hold up the Lombardi Trophy for the crowd at a Superbowl celebration rally at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis February 5, 2007. The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 to win Superbowl XLI. (UPI Photo/Mark Cowan)
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay hold up the Lombardi Trophy for the crowd at a Superbowl celebration rally at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis February 5, 2007. The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 to win Superbowl XLI. (UPI Photo/Mark Cowan) | License Photo

Jim Irsay won't be wearing a gold jacket on Saturday, but the Indianapolis Colts owner sure is proud of two men who will.

Irsay will present former Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. The 43-year-old Harrison will join former coach Tony Dungy along with quarterbacks Brett Favre and Ken Stabler, defensive end Kevin Greene, offensive tackle Orlando Pace, guard Dick Stanfel and owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. in the decorated class.

Advertisement

"You can sum up Marvin's career and what he thinks about playing football in the NFL by him saying, 'You pay me to practice, Sunday is free.' And that's the way he did it. So (he's) just special," Irsay said.

"Obviously, Tony means so much to us going in. I can remember when we had to make a directional change on (former head coach) Jim Mora, and immediately calling Tony Dungy up when I knew he was available. Even before I talked to (former team president) Bill Polian about it, (I) had a long, long conversation with (Dungy) and knew he was our guy. Bill talked to him and agreed and the rest is history. So it's going to be really exciting."

Advertisement

Harrison highlighted his career by posting an NFL-record 143 receptions during the 2002 season. The 19th overall selection of the 1996 draft, Harrison reeled in 1,102 catches for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns in 190 career games -- all with the Colts.

Dungy enjoyed a dominant run with the Colts, with whom he became the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl. He won five division titles with Indianapolis and recorded double-digit victories in each of his seven years with the club. Dungy also coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had a 139-69 overall record in 13 seasons.

Latest Headlines