Irsay began working for the team when his father acquired the Baltimore Colts in 1972, becoming the club’s general manager in 1984. He oversaw the team’s day-to-day operations beginning in 1995, after his father Robert Irsay suffered a stroke.
Jim Irsay, though, had plenty of interests away from the gridiron. Notably, he was a fan of pop culture – specifically music – and invested some of his $4.8 billion fortune into creating one of the most impressive collections of music memorabilia in the world.
Here’s what to know about The Jim Irsay Collection and what comprises it.
What is the Jim Irsay Collection?
The collection includes signed photos, handwritten lyrics, and other historic music memorabilia from the following artists:
- Bob Dylan
- The Beatles
- Prince
- Eric Clapton
- Elton John
- Jerry Garcia
- Les Paul
- David Gilmour
- Jim Morrison
- Pete Townshend
- Jimi Hendrix
- John Coltrane
- The Edge
- Janis Joplin
- Kurt Cobain
Irsay frequently loaned his collection out to museums, including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Since 2021, it has been touring the United States as part of a traveling showcase and concert series meant to share Irsay’s love of music with others.
Irsay’s collection isn’t just limited to music-related artifacts. He also has memorabilia from President Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs and Muhammad Ali, among others.
That said, the biggest draw of The Jim Irsay Collection is his assembly of guitars, which Guitar Magazine in 2022 called ‘the greatest guitar collection on Earth.’
Jim Irsay guitar collection
The Jim Irsay Collection contains 199 guitars, according to the collection’s official website. The full list can be accessed by clicking here.
Among the most notable guitars in Irsay’s collection are the following:
- David Gilmour’s Black Strat
- Prince’s Yellow Cloud
- Jerry Garcia’s Tiger
- The Beatles’ 1966 Vox Kensington
- Bob Dylan’s Fender Stratocaster