Bill Polian thanks Colts for Super Bowl title

CANTON, Ohio – His long road to Canton began in the boroughs of New York City, where, as the grandson of Irish immigrants, he would scrape together a few dollars, score a ticket to the Polo Grounds and root on his beloved Giants. That’s where it started. That’s where a boy’s love for football first blossomed.

Bill Polian never imagined it would end here.

Here is Canton, Ohio; here is the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Saturday evening, the architect who rescued the Indianapolis Colts from NFL irrelevance and lifted the franchise to its finest era was enshrined into football immortality.

“A journey that began on a boat from Ireland led to Canton,” Polian said in an emotional acceptance speech before dozens of former coaches, players and colleagues. He closed by quoting Yankees legend Lou Gehrig: “The impossible dreams have all come true. Today I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

He was one of eight inductees honored Saturday night. Joining Polian in the Class of 2015: Junior Seau, Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Charles Haley, Mick Tinglehoff, Will Shields and Ron Wolf.

Polian’s lasting imprint on the Colts, his employer from 1998-2011, stretched beyond the field. As team president, he built a roster that transformed a city and a state, converted basketball maniacs into football diehards and delivered Indianapolis its first major pro sports title in three decades.

It was telling, then, that so many of those who worked with Polian in Indianapolis were on hand Saturday: From owner Jim Irsay to former coaches Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell to a plethora of players whose career successes speak to Polian’s football genius. Peyton Manning was there. Jeff Saturday and Tarik Glenn were there. So were Dallas Clark, Brandon Stokely, Adam Meadows and Rob Morris.

“A special, special night,” Dungy called it. “And a very deserved one for Bill.”

In the 14 years that preceded Polian’s arrival, the Colts won 88 games, one division title and earned three playoff berths. He turned the tide in an instant. He built a champion. By the time his 14 seasons were up, the Colts had won 146 games, eight division titles and went to the playoffs 11 times.

Most satisfying was that conquest in the rain in Miami in January 2007, Polian’s first and only Super Bowl victory in five trips to the big game.

“We never doubted for a minute, that through all the heartache and heartbreak, we would win a Lombardi Trophy,” Polian said while highlights of that victory played on the screen behind him.

Polian’s speech traced his football journey, from his playing days at NYU to coaching stops at Manhattan University and the United States Merchant Marine Academy to stays with the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and, finally, the Colts. He thanked Irsay first.

“Jim had a vision for his Colts and allowed us to help make it a reality,” Polian said. “His generosity and loyalty gave us the tools to succeed.”

He then moved on to Dungy, calling him “America’s coach.”

“What a joy to work with him,” Polian said. “Many of our players felt that because of Tony’s faith, the Almighty did him a favor from time to time, like steering storms away from training camp. That, nor our many miraculous second-half comebacks, was not Tony’s greatest feat. He did the unthinkable, the undoable: He cleaned up my vocabulary.”

Polian also pointed to his greatest draft pick, Manning, the choice in April 1998 that started it all. So deep is Manning’s respect for his former boss that he hopped on a flight after practice in Denver on Saturday morning to be in attendance in Canton on Saturday evening.

“If you keep playing, I may not be around for your induction,” Polian said to Manning, a line that was met with a chorus of laughter. “But wherever I am, I’ll be thrilled and proud.”

All told Polian spent 32 years in the NFL. He began as a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1978 and ended with the Colts in 2011. In between he left an indelible mark, an unquestioned legacy as one of the game’s greatest eyes for talent.

“There is a mural atop the entrance to Lucas Oil Stadium depicting scenes from our Super Bowl season,” Polian said Saturday. “It says, simply, Lucas Oil Stadium, built by champions.”

Polian looked out into the crowd, seeking out his former Colts.

“Yes, you are.”

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.