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Dungy is moving forward

News Channel 8 photo by TODD DAVIS

Tony Dungy promotes the Every Child, Every School, Every Family First program Thursday in St. Petersburg.

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 30, 2009

Updated: 05/30/2009 11:57 pm

ST. PETERSBURG - It had been a busy Thursday morning but now Tony Dungy was heading back across the Howard Frankland Bridge toward Tampa after a couple of meetings in a campaign to increase parental involvement in Florida public schools.

He had signed autographs, shook hands, posed for pictures and managed to get in a positive message or two in the process. It was well-received, as always. Watching this, the thought occurred of how easily he has left pro football behind, although the game still holds on to him.

"There are some things I miss about it but it wouldn't be what people think. The actual day-to-day routine - did you miss the draft, things like that - I really don't miss it. But for 30 years you've been around 50-55 guys, 20 coaches and staff, and it's just those conversations and relationships that you miss," he said.

"But the routine and not coaching, I haven't missed that. When the fall comes and you're not out there on Sunday afternoon, that'll be the next step. Right now though, I'm so far removed from it that it seems natural."

Not that far removed, actually.

His recent visit to Michael Vick in prison drew national attention, and if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to invite him to drop by for a chat like Warren Sapp did recently, well, he said, "I would enjoy doing that - talking about things that make you a winner on and off the field."

Vick must move forward

Dungy's first real contact with Vick didn't come in his prison cell at Leavenworth. They had met briefly a few years ago when Atlanta and Indianapolis played an exhibition game in Japan. They talked about their mutual love of fishing during promotional stops for that game and made plans to get together for a trip when they got back to the states.

"We tried to hook up a couple of times but it didn't work out and I've often wondered if I had those eight or 10 hours with him, things might have been a little different. You never know," Dungy said.

That day in prison, Dungy said they didn't talk much about the past or the demons that drove Vick to risk everything on a reprehensible activity like dog fighting. It was all about looking forward, and Dungy said he won't judge whether Vick really understands why he is in this mess.

"I guess I never went in with that in mind. I know the commissioner will try to have a sense of that to make his ruling, so I'll leave that up to more qualified psychologists than me. We talked about the future and moving forward and that's what I always talk to inmates about," he said.

"You want to find out what happened and why they're in there, but one of the things I learned from Dad a long time ago was how do you make the situation better? We talked about that more than anything else. We talked about getting back and living, being a dad to his kids. Those kinds of things are going to be important to Mike."

Dungy, as we know, always looks for the good in things. And as much as Vick has turned society against him because of what he did, Dungy said he still has a chance to use even this for something good.

"I think he can tell a story that would be much different than the kind of story I can tell. Young people can listen to me because I played in the National Football League and coached and won a Super Bowl. But I couldn't tell them what it's like to grow up without a dad, or tell them what it's like to be around the drug culture," he said.

"I couldn't tell them what it's like to try and survive on the streets. There will be some kids who will be able to understand coming from Mike what some of those pressures are and how to deal with that, how to grow, and how to beat that. I think it would be fantastic and very powerful, and that's what I hope happens.

A sporting platform

He never imagined having this platform, but he takes advantage of it. In this day of 24-hour news fed by mass media - and we do mean mass - his message is in demand.

"It's a little unbelievable to me that so many people do know you. You can be at an airport anywhere in the country and people do recognize you," he said.

"I've been retired about four months now and you feel like you should be old news, but it doesn't seem to be that way. People are interested in talking to you and hearing what you have to say. That is surprising to me."

The car was over the bridge now and Dungy was off to his next meeting and the business of being indispensible. Before he left, though, one question: Any advice for new Bucs coach Raheem Morris?

"I would probably tell him the same thing Coach Chuck Noll and Dan Rooney told me when I started with the Steelers. You have to have your convictions and what you believe in. You've been around some really good people and learned some things, so just be yourself," Dungy said.

"The reason you got hired was that people saw something in you they liked, so don't feel that you have to change now that you're the head coach. Continue being Raheem Morris and you'll be in great shape."

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