INDIANAPOLIS — Longtime Colts beat writer and reporter Mike Chappell was honored by the organization Wednesday in a big way. The Indianapolis Colts organization announced before media availability Wednesday that the team's official media room inside its complex on 56th Street will now be named the Mike Chappell Media Room. The 40-year veteran Colts beat reporter was told about the name change by a familiar face: legendary quarterback Peyton Manning. "Congratulations on 40 years plus covering the Indianapolis Colts, and special congratulations on the Mike Chappell Media Room," Manning said. "That’s an outstanding honor, well deserved. I appreciate your professionalism over the years. Always enjoyed our football conversations, our life conversations, and you’re the ultimate pro." Other former Colts players and team officials congratulated Chappell in personalized videos. Former running back Edgerrin James said "Chap always understood Edge." A graduate of Beech Grove High School and Ball State University’s Class of 1973, Chappell jokes that he has covered the Indianapolis Colts since they arrived on the Mayflower in 1984 after leaving Baltimore. "Covering the Colts since we came off the truck in 1984," Colts COO Pete Ward said Wednesday. After the unveiling, Head Coach Shane Steichen took the stand to answer questions on DeForest Buckner and Jonathan Taylor, but not without congratulating Chappell first. "First off, congrats to you Chap," Steichen said. "I mean, that's a big deal. We appreciate all of your work and what you've done here. Obviously, I've been here just a short period of time, but really appreciate what you do for sure." Throughout his time covering the Colts, Chappell has worked for The Herald Bulletin in Anderson, the Indianapolis Star and FOX59/CBS4. He has covered the entire tenures of quarterback greats such as Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. He has seen two Colts Super Bowl appearances and one win. Chappell began working at the IndyStar in the summer of ’84 and initially was the backup Colts writer while also covering small colleges. In 1989, he took over as the beat writer and held that position until 2013. Chappell left the newspaper in September 2014. Chappell is a long-time member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He was inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame in 2014 and was named Indiana’s Sportswriter of the Year for 2014. He currently lives in Beech Grove with his wife, Cathy. Chappell dedicated the celebration Wednesday to his daughter Angie, who died in 2007 from leukemia. https://twitter.com/mchappell51/status/1735309709270290808 To learn more about Chappell's career and to read his latest Colts coverage, click here. You can also follow Chappell on Twitter @mchappell51.