Tony Dungy is on the tv right now retiring from the Colts. I can’t say that I’m surprised – as his tenure in Indianapolis has gotten longer, it seem that he’s yearned more and more to return to Tampa and rejoin his family. His wife and kids have been back there for a couple years or more now. I think he sees a larger calling for his talent than the football field.
I have mixed feelings about this. Dungy is a fantastic guy – heavily involved in the community, and he produces winning teams, every year. I was disappointed in him last year when he brought up the potential of retirement prior to the playoffs, causing the focus to move off of the team and its upcoming game, and onto him. I don’t think they needed the distraction, and they got bounced in the first round. There’s also a vocal group who argue that this team should have two or three championships by now, and they’ve underachieved by only winning one. A lot of the same arguments that were heard when he was Tampa’s coach. I can see that side of the coin, too, but he DID bring home a championship.
I do wish they’ve have an open interview process for his job, though. I don’t quite understand simply naming a guy, and not bringing in 2-3 other candidates to see what they have to offer.
He is a great guy and valued in both Indy and the Tampa area. His youngest son is a receiver on the Plant High(Tampa) School football team and my guess is that he wants to be a stronger part of that instead of being in Indy during his season. As a strong man of faith he’ll make the right decision. Certainly a person to envy.
Perhaps we’ll see him in another football capacity sooner than later…I hope so.
Winning a Super Bowl takes so much more than a great football team year in and year out. Luck with opponents, injuries to your players and just a bad day can doom your results.
Yeah, he is a great guy. The arguement can be made that his TB teams underperformed in the playoffs in relation to the number of All-Pros they had anually … and given that Gruden won a title with the same (essentially) players.
In Indy they won the SB the one year that the D stayed healthy (for the most part), and if memory serves me, Sanders returned at the right time and played great … and they played the offenseless Bears in the SB. Still, he won the title and I give him credit.
He’s much more from the Tom Landry school of coaching, in terms of demeaner and treatment of his players.
The Indy job has to be an attractive one, b/c with PMan at QB, you’re always going to be competitive. In that regard it’s like coaching Denver with Elway as oppossed to without (Eh, Shanny?).
I wish Tony the best, certainly losing his other son had to make the urge to be with family even more compelling. I also agree that he likely has something else in mind for how to spend his time.
I don’t think he comes back. I don’t know why, but I think Tony will find more to life than just football. My wife used to work with his brother, he was another dentist in her office. He thought when Tony hung it up in the NFL that would be the end of it for him.
The odds are stacked in the favor that Tony Dungy is done, for good. He has the epitome of class. If you haven’t read his book, Quiet Strength, I highly recommend it. Shows you how much better he is as a man than a coach, and I consider him a legendary coach.