Colts Flashback: Hometown Heroes Jack Doyle, Joe Reitz Loving Life in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS — When tight end Jack Doyle came home to play for the Indianapolis Colts after being cut as an undrafted rookie in 2013, he had a teammate who could relate to what it was like to play in the NFL for the hometown team.
Offensive lineman Joe Reitz, once an undrafted rookie who spent two seasons on Baltimore’s practice squad, came to the Colts in 2010. He was a high school basketball star at Hamilton Southeastern and didn’t even play college football at Western Michigan.
Doyle, who played his high school football at Cathedral, was as he is now, a hard-working and understated pro. He humbly hopped in for a 2014 video with Reitz in the Colts locker room.
Before they shared the scene, Reitz couldn’t resist teasing his teammate about how he grew up “on the mean streets” of the Eastside of Indianapolis. Reitz’s high school is on the Northeast side of Indy. And because Cathedral is a Catholic school, Reitz couldn’t resist needling about Doyle’s school recruiting players.
It was all in fun, as usual, for the two good guys.
Doyle didn’t hesitate to say how much he appreciated Reitz helping him settle in with the Colts. All jokes aside, did he look up to Joe?
“Oh yeah, always,” Doyle said. “Since I got here, Joe seriously did take me under his wing. We have the same agent in Buddy Baker.”
“Great guy,” Reitz said of Baker.
“It made it an easier transition,” Doyle said. “Whenever you show up to a new team, it’s good to have a guy kind of show you the ropes in doing things the right way. Joe definitely did that.”
“I appreciate that, man,” Reitz said, tapping Doyle’s chest.
Doyle is still doing things the right way. He was named to his second Pro Bowl last season and received a three-year, $21-million extension.
And now Doyle will have another Indianapolis native on the Colts roster. Defensive tackle Sheldon Day, who played his high school football at Warren Central and in college at Notre Dame, signed a one-year deal as a free agent after three seasons with San Francisco and two years with Jacksonville.
Day grew up cheering for the Colts on Sundays, rushing home from church to watch his favorite team. After agreeing to terms with the Colts, he spoke of his appreciation for being back home and what sports mean to Indianapolis.
“What I love about Indy the most is the feeling you get within the city,” Day said. “Sports are huge in Indianapolis and most people don’t know that. So, it’s just a Midwest town with a lot of love for the people in it, the sports in it, and just as a whole, it’s a great place.”
