Carlie Irsay-Gordon (born c, 1981Walter Gutowski (ed.), ''Baltimore Colts: 1983 Media Guide.'' Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Colts Football Team, p. 9 lists Carlie Irsay as 2-years old at the time of the book's publication in August 1983.) is an American businesswoman and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

executive who is the co-owner and CEO of the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). She is the granddaughter of

Robert Irsay Robert 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 for ...

, the eldest daughter of

Jim Irsay James Stephen Irsay (June 13, 1959 – May 21, 2025) was an American billionaire businessman who was the principal owner, chairman, and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 1997 until his death in 2025. The ...

, and the sister of fellow Colts co-owners

Casey Foyt Casey Foyt (née Irsay) is an American businesswoman and football executive who is the co-owner and executive vice president of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). She is the granddaughter of Robert Irsay, the daughter ...

and

Kalen Jackson Kalen Jackson (née Irsay) is an American businesswoman and football executive who is the co-owner and chief brand officer of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) and the president of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation. Sh ...

. Irsay-Gordon has been the principal owner and CEO of the Colts since 2025.

Early life and education

Irsay-Gordon is an Indianapolis native. She attended

Park Tudor School Park Tudor School is a coeducational independent college preparatory day school founded in 1902. It offers programs from junior kindergarten through high school. It is located in the Meridian Hills neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. A m ...

and graduated in 1999. She earned her bachelor's degree from

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a Private school, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,700 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Scien ...

in 2005, where she studied religious studies and geoscience. She also rode competitively until the age of 20, on a horse named London Times. Irsay-Gordon began coursework towards a PhD in clinical psychology through

Argosy University Argosy University was a private for-profit university with campuses throughout the United States owned by Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH), LLC and Education Management Corporation. On February 27, 2019, the U.S. Department of Educat ...

but did not complete her boards.

Career

Indianapolis Colts

Irsay-Gordon first worked for the Colts in the ticket office and was subsequently involved in the marketing department and the strategies used by the sales team and ticket office. Irsay-Gordon has represented the team at ownership meetings since 2004. Carlie Irsay-Gordon.
Indianapolis Colts. Retrieved June 10, 2025. She was made a team vice-president in 2008, while studying for a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. In March 2012, Irsay-Gordon and her sisters,

(born February 10, 1983) and

, were announced as co-owners of the Colts, with the two younger sisters officially added as vice-presidents. Irsay-Gordon's father,

, stated that he intends the team to entirely pass to his daughters. Irsay-Gordon was then named as chair of the Colts in March 2014 shortly after Jim Irsay was arrested and entered a rehabilitation facility for drug use. In 2016, Irsay-Gordon joined the NFL Digital Media Committee. She continues in a similar capacity into 2024 as a member of the NFL's Media Owned and Operated Committee, which oversees operations of the

NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...

and

NFL.com The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The ...

.Hayden Clark (ed.), "Vice-Chairs/Owners," ''Indianapolis Colts Scout,'' vol. 16, no. 10 (January 6, 2024), p. 11. She is also a member of the league's Security and Fan Conduct Committee and on the board of the NFL Player Care Foundation, which provides social services to former players of the NFL. She created and oversees the Colts'

Tony Dungy Anthony Kevin Dungy ( ; born October 6, 1955) is an American former professional football safety and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts ...

Diversity Coaching Fellowship and the Harriet P. Irsay Fellowship for Women in Football programs. Before the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Irsay-Gordon later recalled that she and her sister Kalen began to plan to focus the Colts' charitable attention on a single initiative, and selected a program on mental health, which became known as Kicking the Stigma. This launched in May 2021. After her father's death in May 2025, the Colts announced that Irsay-Gordon would assume the titles of owner and CEO of the team.

Community

Irsay-Gordon serves on the board of trustees of her alma mater, the Park Tudor School. 2024-2025 Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.
Park Tudor. Retrieved June 10, 2025. Her father and two sisters, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, are also Park Tudor alumni and parents.Park Tudor (August 3, 2020)
Park Tudor Announces Lead Gift from Irsay Family for New Sports and Wellness Center.
Retrieved June 10, 2025. She sits on the board of the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund. She is a former board member of Visit Indy and former co-chair of Indy Championships Fund.

Personal life

Irsay-Gordon lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Zach Gordon. The couple has three children. The ''Indianapolis Business Journal'' named her to their "Forty Under 40" list in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irsay-Gordon, Carlie American chief executives of professional sports organizations American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent American people of Polish descent American women sports executives and administrators Indianapolis Colts executives Indianapolis Colts owners Irsay family Living people Skidmore College alumni Women American football executives Women sports owners Year of birth missing (living people)