Bill Polian to be inducted into Colts Ring of Honor

The Indianapolis Colts today announced that they will induct former General Manager/President/Vice Chairman Bill Polian into their Ring of Honor during halftime of the team's week 17 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 1, 2017.

Polian was the architect of the greatest era in Colts history and one of the best runs of sustained success in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year, and while it has taken a little while for him to join the Colts' Ring of Honor, everyone knew it would happen and it's incredibly well-deserved. Other than Peyton Manning, perhaps no individual deserves more credit for helping to turn around the Colts franchise and make them a winner.

The Colts acquired Polian in 1998, at which point he had already had a very successful run with the Buffalo Bills and had done a nice job with the expansion Carolina Panthers. Polian's reputation grew during his time in Indy, as during his 14 seasons with the team the Colts made eleven playoff appearances, won eight division titles, two AFC championships, and won Super Bowl XLI. The Colts racked up 115 regular season wins during from 2000-2009, the most in a single decade of any team in league history. Overall, the Colts were 143-81 (.638) with Polian running the show. He also was responsible for bringing in players such as Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Jeff Saturday, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, and Robert Mathis, among many others.

“Bill was incredibly successful during his time with our franchise and proved to be a Hall of Famer,” Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay said in a statement released by the team. “He was one of the most innovative personalities to ever grace our sport, and his passion for the game was and still is unmatched. I will always be grateful to Bill for his contributions to the Colts, and to the NFL.”

Polian will be the 13th member to be inducted into the Colts Ring of Honor, joining Robert Irsay, Bill Brooks, Ted Marchibroda, Chris Hinton, Jim Harbaugh, Colts Nation (previously the 12th Man), Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrson, Edgerrin James, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, and Jeff Saturday.