2011 Colts Media Guide - Nfl

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PETE WARD
Chief Operating Officer
Pete Ward is in his 31st season with the Colts. He was promoted to Chief Operating
Officer in 2010 after serving as Senior Executive Vice President since 2001. Ward's
duties and experiences within the organization have been wide-ranging and varied.
He began his affiliation with the Colts in 1981 as a summer and seasonal intern in
the team's public relations department. Following his graduation from the University
of Virginia in 1982, Ward was hired as the club's Administrative Assistant. He was
promoted to Director of Operations shortly after the team's arrival in Indianapolis in
March 1984 and was named Vice President of Administration in 1997. Ward's various
duties have included serving as the liaison on the design and construction of Lucas Oil Stadium. He
currently serves on the boards of the IU Simon Cancer Center, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the
Indiana Convention and Visitors Association and the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. Born in New
Orleans, La., and raised in Carmel, Calif., Ward resides with his wife, Lena, and their kids, Maddy and Sam.
TOM ZUPANCIC
Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Tom Zupancic is in his 28th season with the Colts, his sixth as as Senior Vice
President of Sales and Marketing. Before joining the front office as Director of
Business Development in 1998, he served from 1984-98 as the Colts’ Strength
and Conditioning Coach. A graduate of Indiana Central University in 1978,
Zupancic also received an honorary doctorate degree from Martin University in
2010. Zupancic was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1998
and given the Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor Evan Bayh in 1996,
Indiana's highest civillian honor. In 2000, Zupancic was one of 10 recipients of
the Jefferson award for volunteerism. He serves on the boards of the Children’s
Bureau of Indianapolis, Salvation Army and the Speedway Exchange Club. He is on the Board of
Trustees of the University of Indianapolis, the Board of 21st Century Charter School and the GEO
Foundation National Board for Education. Zupancic, an alternate on the 1980 and 1984 USA Greco
Roman Olympic wrestling teams, was born September 14, 1955, in Indianapolis. Zupancic and his
wife, Carrie, reside in Indianapolis and have three children, Katie (21), Jake (20) and John Thomas (18).
DAN EMERSON
General Counsel
Dan Emerson has represented the Colts since March of 1984. Emerson is a partner in
the Indianapolis firm Bose McKinney & Evans, where he chairs the Sports and
Entertainment Group. After graduating from Macalester College, Emerson attended law
school at Indiana University. He is a member of the Indianapolis, Indiana State,
American, Federal, and Seventh Circuit Bar Associations, and is a past Chairman of
both the Indiana State and Indianapolis Bar Associations' Labor and Employment Law
Sections. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America and is a Distinguished Fellow of the
Indianapolis Bar Foundation. Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, Emerson resides in
Indianapolis with his wife, Ginny. They have two daughters, Emily (29) and Ashley (27).
DAN LUTHER
Special Counsel
Dan Luther enters his ninth season as Special Counsel to the Colts. Luther, a partner
in the Chicago-based firm of Mayer Brown LLP, has represented Colts Owner Jim Irsay
in legal matters since 1988 and represented the Colts in the negotiations that led to
the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium. Luther graduated magna cum laude from
Georgetown University with an A.B. in government and economics in 1983 and a
J.D. in 1986. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America in the categories of Sports Law
and Trusts and Estates. Luther was raised in Sayreville, N.J. He and his wife, Cathy,
have two children, Meg (21) and Joe (18), and reside in River Forest, Ill.
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