Late Colts Owner Jim Irsay Saved Hunter S. Thompson's Owl Farm

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who died this week at age 65, had some unusual friends, including the granddaddy of gonzo himself, Hunter S. Thompson.

Thompson, the great American author and journalist, shared a unique connection with the late Colts owner, with one of many endearing twists stemming from Irsay's generosity.

INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay talks to the fans during the Dwight Freeney induction to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 10, 2019. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

As tributes poured in for Irsay, Hunter's widow, Anita, shared a heartwarming story about Irsay's role in helping save Owl Farm. 

Thompson purchased Owl Farm in 1969 and lived there until dying by suicide in 2005.

As tales of Irsay's generosity flowed on Wednesday, Anita Thompson shared that the Colts owner once helped save Owl Farm by offering Anita a bridge loan to keep the Colorado property.

Anita shared a tribute to Irsay, mentioning the long-kept secret of Irsay's loan. 

Her tribute read, "'Anita, Hunter didn’t die. Remember we are spiritual beings having a human experience.' - Jim Irsay to me on the phone after Hunter died, when I was at my darkest. I tried to keep that in mind yesterday at the labyrinth, after the heartbreaking news of Jim’s passing. we send all our love to his family & team. Rest in Peace, dear friend. James Irsay 1959-2025."

Anita continued, sharing the story of the loan that saved Owl Farm and how Irsay wanted to avoid the spotlight of helping the widow. 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Author Hunter Thompson speaks at Harvard Law School in April 1984. (Photo by Mikki Ansin/Getty Images)

"Jim Irsay is the reason Owl Farm was saved in 2016. We were at risk of losing the farm then, and Jim graciously gave me a low interest bridge loan so that I could have time to get a proper mortgage. that he was so gracious at a terrible time is something I’ll never forget.

"He loaned the low interest loan in a private way, no demand for applause or public adulation. He had zero obligation to help. I hope to have a fraction of that decency."

NFL teams, players and fans all remembered the eccentric Irsay after news dropped on Wednesday that the 65-year-old died in his sleep, according to the Colts' official statement.

One of the crazier twists in this friendship involves a letter to Irsay in the late '90s in which Hunter pleaded with him to draft Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning in the 1998 draft.

Irsay and Thompson met through "Almost Famous" director Cameron Crowe in the mid-'90s, and they remained friends.

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