Published: May 20, 2008 03:04 pm            

Colts, Indy to host Super Bowl in 2012

INDIANAPOLIS — In a not-too-surprising announcement, the National Football League confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Indianapolis will be the host site of Super Bowl XLVI. What was surprising, though, was that it took four rounds of voting by the NFL’s 32 team owners before it was finally determined that that 2012 Super Bowl will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The decision was made public during a one-day owners’ meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the Atlanta suburb of Buckhead. Super Bowl XLVI is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 and will be broadcast nationally by NBC.

Indianapolis edged out Glendale, Ariz. — the host of this past year’s Super Bowl — and Houston in the selection process. The final voting, which occurred after 15-minute presentations from each prospective game site, came down to Indianapolis and Glendale in the final three rounds.

Houston was dropped from consideration after the opening round. The final vote counts for the last two rounds were not immediately released.

“I’m pleased to announce that Super Bowl 46 will be played on Feb. 5, 2012 and it will be played in Indianapolis,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference. “They did a terrific job, the community, in putting together an outstanding bid. All the bids were outstanding, but you could see the quality of this bid and the enthusiasm of this community. I think clearly the stadium, the quality of the stadium and the public-private partnership, was the big factor in many of the owners’ minds. They just did a terrific job of putting together a bid that I think will serve the NFL very well and hopefully serve the Indianapolis community very well.

“One other point that I think stood out, at least for me, and I think for the ownership, was the legacy project that they had proposed for the city with respect to building a practice facility and then turning around and leaving that to the community as a facility that will be used by many generations of young people to play sports. I think that’s a great thing about the NFL and the Super Bowl. We like coming to new cities and we’re looking forward to being in Indianapolis.”

Mark Miles, the chairman of the city’s Super Bowl bid committee, and Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White made the final presentation for Indianapolis early Tuesday afternoon, aided by a video hosted by actor Dennis Hopper.

Miles and Colts owner Jim Irsay were both visibly affected upon hearing the NFL’s announcement. Miles choked back his emotions and Irsay sighed in relief as they discussed the league’s decision afterward. Indianapolis had come within two votes a year ago of winning the right to host the 2011 Super Bowl, losing out to Dallas in a close selection process.

“In my mind, everything has come together over 25 years. Jim Irsay and the Colts have blossomed into one of the absolute quality franchises in all sports and really were the soul behind this whole effort,” Miles said. “And look at the city over that period of time. We simply couldn’t do it if it weren’t for a very concerted effort and a lot of support from the public and a lot of vision. It’s a big moment.”

For Irsay, the chance to host a Super Bowl game was the culmination of a lengthy effort by the franchise and the city to bring the big event to Indianapolis.

“We’re really excited. It was really nerve-wracking in the [NFL owners’ presentation] room. We went down to the vote with us first and then Arizona. We got it on the final ballot, [but] I didn’t hear the final tally. But it was incredible. It was nerve-wracking. We couldn’t be more excited because obviously coming out of [the NFL owners meeting] in Nashville last year and having to go through the whole process again. But this is what we wanted to see happen,” he said.

“To come [here] and get it, get Indy fired up and realize we’re going to host the biggest event in the world. And we couldn’t be more excited. I think people realize now it’s a reality and they just take so much pride in the fact that we’re going to be hosting this game. The biggest event in the world, bring it to our city and this incredible stadium where the [former] Super Bowl champion Colts reside. So it’s been an incredible journey for us, to come all this way. This is kind of like the final piece of the puzzle, so to speak, of the last decade of where the franchise has gone. It just means so much to the community and I couldn’t be more excited because everyone’s going to benefit.”

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard had to wait to find out how the final vote went. Daniels is in the Middle East, visiting with Indiana troops. He was informed of the NFL’s decision as he prepared for a media conference call on Tuesday.

“As a Colts fan, I’m thrilled. As a citizen of Indiana, I’m proud. This cements our state’s reputation as a sports and big events capital,” Daniels said in a written statement.

Ballard, meanwhile, received a short, but concise text message from Miles while sitting in his downtown Indianapolis office.

“There were a lot of high fives going on just about 3 o’clock. So it was a good day up there,” he said, adding that the long-term rewards of hosting a Super Bowl game are immeasurable.

“The estimates are huge, I mean, hundreds of millions for economic impact when you include the multiplier effect. The taxes that are coming into the city are pretty good, too, somewhere between $10 and $20 million. But also what I’m really concerned about is the worker here in town. All of those people who will get two or three months of mortgage out of a weekend’s worth of work. This is huge for them and I’m so happy that we got this just for them.”

The city plans to put on a good show for visiting fans, Ballard explained, with everything based in downtown Indianapolis. Two key parts of the plan included the building of a $9 million practice facility that will be permanently located at Howe High School and the decision to allocate additional stadium suites for the NFL’s use during the Super Bowl.

“I think [fans] will say, ‘Wow, what a great city. These people know how to do it here in Indianapolis.’ That’s what I think they’ll take away from it. We’ll have a Super Bowl village downtown that will be unlike anything ever done. And they’re going to be pretty pleased,” he promised.

        

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