- published: 05 Jan 2016
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James "Jim" Irsay (born June 13, 1959) is the owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.
Irsay was born in Lincolnwood, Illinois, the son of Harriet (née Pogorzelski) and Chicago businessman Robert Irsay. His father was from a Jewish Hungarian family and his mother was the daughter of Polish Catholic immigrants. Irsay was raised Catholic, and did not know about his father's Jewish heritage until he was fourteen. Jim's brother, Robert, was born with a mental disability and died in 1999, and his sister, Roberta, died in a car accident in 1971. Irsay attended high school at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb just north of Chicago, Illinois. After high school he attended, and graduated from, Southern Methodist University in 1982 with a degree in broadcast journalism. Irsay played linebacker for the SMU Mustangs football team as a walk-on, but an ankle injury ended his playing career.
Irsay was 12 years old when his father, Robert Irsay, purchased the Baltimore Colts. After graduating from SMU in 1982 he joined the Colts' professional staff. He was named Vice President and General Manager in 1984, one month after the Colts made their controversial move to Indianapolis. After his father suffered a stroke in 1995 Jim assumed day-to-day management with the role of Senior Executive Vice President, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer in April 1996. When his father died in 1997 Jim engaged in a legal battle with his stepmother over ownership of the team, but later became the youngest NFL team owner at that time at 37. He controls 100% of the franchise.
Raymell Maurice Rice (born January 22, 1987 in New Rochelle, New York) is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. At the end of the 2011 season he was ranked as the Baltimore Ravens second all-time rusher in yards (4377), and attempts (959). He is ranked third all-time for touchdowns (24).
Rice has had to deal with tragedy and adversity from a young age. When Rice was only a year old, his father was killed in a drive-by shooting. Ray's cousin helped to raise him before dying in a car accident in 1998 due to a drunk driver. Ray's mother Janet raised her four children with only one income from her job as a special education teacher.
Rice was the primary running back at New Rochelle High School, playing alongside future Rutgers teammates Courtney Greene and Glen Lee. His sophomore and junior seasons saw him take the primary duties, but he became the feature back in his senior year.