Each has found her footing. Irsay-Gordon, the oldest daughter, is heavily involved in the day-to-day operation of the team, working intensely in areas ranging from marketing to football. She serves on multiple ownership committees, including the committee overseeing the league’s strategic capital fund.

Foyt, who has a degree in sports management, has experience working in special events that dates to the NFL’s first regular-season game in London in 2007.

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“She also has the rare blend of appreciating tradition and professional expertise but not being bound by it because she is a progressive thinker. Very good people skills as well. She will be a great steward of the organization.”

Irsay-Gordon was tapped to temporarily fill her father’s role during his league-imposed suspension in 2014 that followed his DUI arrest. The Colts said at the time that she would hold final decision-making authority in his absence. Now, she takes center stage again.

“People can underestimate her if they want, but she is tough, sharp, intelligent, works extremely hard, knows football and is innovative,” said a different executive from another team who knows the family. “She will be great as long as she surrounds herself with the right people.”

During her time working in the organization, Irsay-Gordon has had a major impact on reshaping the business side of the franchise in terms of structure and personnel. Still entrenched are two longtime Irsay confidants who presumably will play a key role in the transition: chief operating officer Pete Ward, who is entering his 45th season with the franchise, and chief legal officer Dan Emerson, who has advised the Irsays since 1984.

There are still unanswered questions, such as how the sisters might navigate reaching a consensus on decision-making. It’s also unclear how heavily they will be impacted by estate taxes, which could be substantial (Jim Irsay is believed to have transferred some of the franchise’s ownership to his daughters in previous years, but specifics are unknown).

But there is one thing about which there is no doubt: The Irsay daughters have been preparing for this job their entire lives. And now, their time has come.

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That started a transformation of the city from a basketball town to one preoccupied with football.

“Right before your eyes, Indianapolis became the biggest football town. High school football goes up. Fans wear more jerseys to a Colts game than any other stadium out there. And that was [because of] Jim’s commitment. That was his commitment to the city that he was going to bring them a winner once he took over, and he did.”

The Colts, at odds with the city over a stadium lease agreement, flirted with the idea of moving the franchise in the early 2000s. A perennial loser that lacked fan support — the Colts notoriously struggled with television blackouts in the 1990s — might have been easier to let go of than a team with a reputation for winning consistently.

“There was all kinds of rumors about us maybe moving to Los Angeles or whatnot,” Manning said. “Jim always wanted to stay in Indianapolis, but he felt like, ‘Hey, we have this really good team. We’re fun to watch. Let’s get them a new stadium to play in.’ And the next thing you know, Lucas Oil Stadium is built.”

The Colts went on to win Super Bowl XLI after the 2006 season, further establishing them as a team to be reckoned with. Two years later, they christened their new stadium. That helped solidify downtown Indianapolis’ future as a destination for major sporting events like the Final Four and allowed the city to host its only Super Bowl in February 2012.

Of his relationship with Irsay, which was always impacted by Irsay’s difficult decision to release Manning in 2012, Manning said, “I’ll be indebted for what he did for me, giving me my start. And certainly, [we] parted ways. But five years later, after I retire, he dedicates a statue in my name and puts me in the Ring of Honor and insisted that I fly to Canton, Ohio on the Colts’ plane.”

Manning added, “He cared about his community, he cared about his family, but he loved the Colts, he loved the horseshoe as he called it, and I think that’s a great legacy.”