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We’re scrambling to describe the many flavors of Dungy.
There’s Tony The Coach, Tony The Advocate, Tony The Trailblazer, Tony The Good Guy, Tony The God Guy, Tony The Mentor, Tony The Family Guy … where to start?
Maybe that’s the point. You can start “Considering Dungy” wherever you want. Whichever aspect of Dungy you find compelling, whatever it is about the guy “speaks” to you, that will be your touchstone.
For instance, the Reuters news story that was issued late Monday afternoon read, “Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts, the first black coach to win the Super Bowl, retired on Monday.”
“The first black coach to win the Super Bowl ...” Well, he was that.
But to a strict football fan, would the most interesting aspect of Dungy be his skin color or that he was a tremendously consistent head coach who finally got over the top after coming close?
Meanwhile, to a devout Christian, Dungy's holding the Lombardi Trophy may have been every bit as momentous and moving as it was for a person who was proud of Dungy’s race.
And for parents who lost children to suicide, imagine how they felt that day, seeing Dungy soldiering on even after losing a teenage son in 2005.
There was a lot to the man. Actually, forget the past tense, there is a lot to the man. And that’s why — provided he keeps his word — the 53-year-old is done for good. There are bigger fish to fry, other causes to support more important than making sure your 45 guys are going to be able to beat the snot out of the other guy’s 45 on Sundays in the fall.
There aren’t a lot of NFL head coaches like that. Or at least there aren’t a lot who will let themselves be perceived like that. Because Dungy was comfortable with who he was, he was able to speak about things that had nothing to do with Xs and Os.
Where other guys might not feel comfortable advocating publicly — or worse, have no issue unrelated to football that they’d advocate for — Dungy realized that he could use his position as a pulpit sometimes.
And he did, advocating strongly for other black coaches, speaking openly about his faith, opining about league rules and tendencies.
Dungy kinda had a lot to say. And was he right 100 percent of the time about everything he espoused? Nobody is. But he rendered his views respectfully and with self-assuredness that made it impossible for anyone to say, “Oh there goes Tony Dungy again, looking for attention.” He was asked questions and he answered them honestly according to what he believed.
As for Dungy the coach, he was excellent. One of the best ever? Certainly in terms of overall record. His teams made the playoffs in 11 of the 13 seasons he coached and only once did his team finish under .500 (the 6-10 Bucs in 1996, Dungy’s first year). He coached the Colts to 10 or more wins in every season he was there.
The postseason performances of Dungy’s teams keep him from being considered one of the elites. His teams went 9-10 in the playoffs, and were one-and-done in six of the 11 playoff seasons including three of the last four. He coached in just that one Super Bowl against the infamously mediocre Chicago Bears and the Colts needed a miracle comeback against a diminished New England team to even get to Miami.
But the point is, if postseason coaching performance were the most pertinent thing about Tony Dungy, there wouldn’t be as much emotion being spilled about his retirement.
Tony Dungy meant different things to a lot of people. And, as a public figure you could relate to, he meant a lot to most everyone.
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 | Tony Dungy trades football for family, social work | Associated Press | Mon Jan 12 | 0 |
| Colts Tony Dungy Calls it Quits | J. M. Van Horn | Tue Jan 13 | 0 | |
| Colts introduce Caldwell as new coach | Associated Press | Tue Jan 13 | 0 |
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{"commentId":4784342,"authorDomain":"serious1"}
Best wishes, Tony. We'll miss you.
{"commentId":4784342,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"serious1"}
#1 - Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:11 PM EST{"commentId":4786542,"authorDomain":"boiler80"}
Best of luck Tony. We Colts fans owe you alot. If you ever decide to get into politics, you've got my vote. Our government could certainly use a man of integrity like yourself. You will definitely be missed in Indy!
{"commentId":4786542,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"boiler80"}
#2 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:04 AM EST{"commentId":4787317,"authorDomain":"jamesanderson22"}
I am an Army Major currently finishing up my 2nd tour in Iraq. In 2005 I was a company commander in Radcliff, KY and privileged enough to get a chance to meet and shake hands with Coach Dungy at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) dinner in Elizabethtown, KY, where he was the guest speaker. As a Christian myself, I don't think that the FCA, which was founded by one of my heroes, Coach Tom Landry, could have picked a better human being to speak. I'm am honored and blessed to have gotten to shake hands with such a wonderful person and wish him all of God's blessings in his retirement. Very Respectfully, Major Jim Anderson Baghdad, Iraq
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#3 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:15 AM EST{"commentId":4787495,"authorDomain":"NetGain"}
I and many others will never forgive Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer for the way he treated Dungy when he terminated him as head coach on 2001. Dungy read about it in the local paper. He was treated like garbage and he did not deserve that. He had been an awsome coach for the Bucs. The very next year (2002), under coach Jon Gruden, the Bucs won the Superbowl. To Gruden's great credit, he openly and unequivocally credited Dungy for having actually built the team that won the Superbowl. It was the plain truth of the matter. Despite the horrid treatment he received from Glazer, Dungy took it all in stride and refused to make any angry or bitter remarks about the incident. In short order, Dungy turned around and once again built another Superbowl winner with the Colts. This time, the owners didn't sleal it away from him. So Dungy really is responsible for TWO (2) Superbowl winners with two different teams. What an incrdibly humble, genuine, sincere human being. One of the very best. A pillar of skill and integrity.
{"commentId":4787495,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"NetGain"}
#4 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:50 AM EST{"commentId":4787721,"authorDomain":"trukurt"}
I'm sorry, he may have been a good coach, but as a human being he is a homophobic bigot who hides behind religion to hate people who are different from him.
{"commentId":4787721,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"trukurt"}
#5 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 7:16 AM EST{"commentId":4789575,"authorDomain":"tomcat-58"}
KMC1965, Where do you get your information? That man never made a nasty remark about anyone. Like Reflecting Pool stated he was shafted in TB and took that in stride and never lashed out at them. He moved on and built a powerhouse in Indy.
You talk about heros in sports here is a man not only in sports, but in his family and personal life is someone that I would rather have my child idolize rather than someone like TO.
Good luck MR DUNGY and I thank you for the memories of the defense you built while asst coach in Pittsburg.
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#6 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:38 AM EST{"commentId":4790439,"authorDomain":"tvernon"}
No man in sports has ever been more humble in the face of more success and personal tragedy than this man. HIs grace, professionalism and openness are something I've never seen in all my years of observing sports. When no one with any credibility has anything negative to say about an individual with such a high profile that speaks for itself.
Coaches come and go every year. The NFL will miss coach Dungy not as a coach but for the lack of his presence in an environment which desperately needs role models.
{"commentId":4790439,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"tvernon"}
#7 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:41 AM EST{"commentId":4791005,"authorDomain":"mcrabb-1"}
Dungy was/is the man and coach that all should aspire to be like. As a die-hard Steeler fan (we've had a few good coaches), I have always liked the person he presented himself as: hard-working, fair, concerned for others and straight-forward with a sense of class that most don't have. To reduce Dungy to "a good coach" and "the first black coach to win a Super Bowl" is a great injustice. Tony Dungy is a great man who will be missed as a positive role model in all sports and American society in general.
{"commentId":4791005,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"mcrabb-1"}
#8 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:18 PM EST{"commentId":4791114,"authorDomain":"micalif"}
A man of true genuine character. Abraham Lincoln said something to the effect (I don't remember the actual quote) that only when a man has real power do you know their level of integrity. Tony passes this test with flying colors. I only wish players (idiots) like Plaxico Burress, Pacman Jones, Chad Johnson, TO and others were forced to be on a desert island with him for a year. He could talk to them about people like Walter Payton. Those idiots have egos; Tony and Walter got rings.
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#9 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:25 PM EST{"commentId":4792894,"authorDomain":"brassobob-1"}
Mr. Dungy,
You are one of the best. Congratulations on a great career and even greater accomplishments as a man and role model for us all. Perhaps no finer man ever coached a professional sports team.
brasso sends
Major, US Army Retired
Baghdad, Iraq.
{"commentId":4792894,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"brassobob-1"}
#10 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:09 PM EST{"commentId":4794029,"authorDomain":"rickfancher"}
God Bless You, Tony Dungy!
You have helped us to know what integrity really is. You have shown us who you are in good times and bad, in times of great joy and terrible personal tragedy. You have taught us by your example what it looks like to be a man of character and a man who loves God with all his heart, mind, and soul.
Not all may agree with your convictions but none can honestly question that you live by your convictions 24/7/365. By God's grace, you are truly a good man.
{"commentId":4794029,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"rickfancher"}
#11 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:16 PM EST{"commentId":4794659,"authorDomain":"grantjg1"}
For evidence of his anti-homosexual side, see:
Or, you know, just google "Dungy" and "teh gay."
{"commentId":4794659,"threadId":"468500","contentId":"2304374","authorDomain":"grantjg1"}
#12 - Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:51 PM EST{"canLink":false,"threadId":"468500","isPrivate":false}
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