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Tony Dungy's Coaching Career

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 13, 2009

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"I certainly look forward to partnering with him on various community projects in Tampa. He certainly meant a lot to me as a role model; displaying high character, great integrity and consistency as a man. We cannot ask for a better ambassador for the game of football than Coach Dungy as he has always lived his life by faith, family and football, in that order."

- Bucs LB Derrick Brooks

"We wish Tony and his family all the best as he heads into retirement. Tony has been a class act on and off the football field for his entire career. We thank him for his major role in helping turn this franchise around. He will be missed all across the National Football League."

- Bucs executive vice president Joel Glazer

"The good news is that Coach Dungy may leave football but what he's really doing is moving his extraordinary influence to other places. Just like he did for me and for countless other players - he will always be able to help teach young men how to be grown and able men. And we need this - not just in football but in the bigger game of life."

- Bucs RB Warrick Dunn

"He was able to get the underdog and turn him into a success story. I think that is one of the overlooked things. When you think about the greatest players he's had in either location, well, Warrick Dunn couldn't play pro football. Derrick Brooks was too small to play linebacker. John Lynch was a baseball player. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were too small to be impact players on the defensive line. Bob Sanders wasn't big enough to play free safety. He's always taken that guy who the establishment said couldn't and given them a chance, and then helped them develop into elite players."

- Ex-Bucs QB Shaun King

"Any time he had to get a point across, it didn't take many words from Tony to tell you exactly what time it was. I watched him say a word that I would have never thought he'd say only twice in the years that I spent with him, but when he said it, it was something profound and he didn't need to say it again."

- Former Bucs DT Warren Sapp

"Coach Dungy is a very classy guy and you believed in him. He gave you the belief that if we stick together, our practices will translate to the game and we'll have success. Coach Dungy was our leader and we played for him."

- Ex-Bucs FB Mike Alstott

"Tony's legacy is really pretty simple - he has been a great coach, a fantastic mentor and to many is even a better person."

- Former Bucs GM and current Falcons president Rich McKay

"People often say that teams reflect their head coach, and that can be said of Tony Dungy's teams, which are consistent winners every single year. Tony has been such a fixture in this league that his absence will take some getting used to."

- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick

"Tony Dungy taught us all how to handle triumph and tragedy with dignity and grace. Although we will miss him, Tony is a great man and his impact will be part of the NFL forever."

- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

Bucs head coach: 1996-2001

Regular season: 54-42

Postseason: 2-4

NOTABLE MOMENTS

•In November of Dungy's first season, the Bucs rallied from a 14-0 deficit at San Diego to beat the Chargers 25-17, a rare West Coast victory that DT Warren Sapp refers to as the turning point in the franchise's transition from league laughingstock to playoff contender.

•In 1997, the Bucs started 5-0 and finished 10-6, the team's first winning season since 1982. On Dec. 28, the team closed Tampa Stadium with a 20-10 playoff victory against the Detroit Lions.

•In 1999, the Bucs won the NFC Central division and advanced to the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Rams 11-6 in St. Louis.

Colts head coach: 2002-2008

Regular season: 85-27

Postseason: 7-6

NOTABLE MOMENTS

•In 2005, the Colts started 13-0 and talk of an undefeated season reached a fever pitch. The Colts lost their 14th game to the San Diego Chargers and a division playoff game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, becoming the only team to start 13-0 and not reach the Super Bowl.

•On Jan. 21, 2007, the Colts rallied from a 21-3 deficit to beat their nemesis, the New England Patriots, in the AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis.

•On Feb. 4, 2007, Dungy became the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl when the Colts beat the Chicago Bears, 29-17 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

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