Nfl coach tony dungy biography

Right after his retirement in , his NFL experience gained him the position of an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota. His stint of being a coach at his alma mater gained him a job in the NFL in , as assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. With this, he created history in NFL by being the youngest assistant coach. His last season with the Steelers ended in after which he was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs as its defensive backs coach.

In , Dungy took over the position of defensive coordinator for Minnesota Vikings. It was during this term that his defense was ranked first in the NFL. Under his leadership, the Buccaneers regularly made it to the playoffs, in , and From being an underdog team to a playoff contender, Dungy had gradually led the team to be one of the best in the NFL.

However, the repeated losses in the playoffs propelled the end of his career with Tampa Bay Buccaneers in In , Dungy was employed as the head coach by the Indianapolis Colts. Though the team performed extremely well on the offensive side, its defense struggled. In Dungy faced great adversity when his 18 year old son James committed suicide, but Dungy responded by starting off the season However they did not reach the super bowl.

In August , President George W. Bush in January by executive order. Its mission is to encourage volunteerism and to recognize the contributions Americans make through service and civic participation. It is a member council representing leaders from government, business, entertainment, athletics and non-profit organizations committed to growing the spirit of service and civic participation.

The season was his last season, marking an end to his seven year stint as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia. He proved that in when he led the Indianapolis Colts to their first Super Bowl since and became the first African-American coach ever to win the championship.

Dungy's siblings include a sister who is an obstetrician, another who is a nurse, and a dentist brother. While the elder Dungy concentrated on his studies, "Tony would fill me in, telling me who handled the ball on every play and what happened. Dungy starred as a basketball guard and an option quarterback in football at Jackson's Parkside High School.

It quickly became clear that Dungy's approach to the game was a cerebral one. As star quarterback for the Golden Gophers from to , Dungy finished his college career ranked fourth in total offense among all players in the history of the Big Ten conference.

Nfl coach tony dungy biography

In spite of his accomplishments at Minnesota, Dungy's small stature and questionable throwing arm put off many pro scouts, and he was passed over in the NFL draft. Dungy soon came to play a key role as a reserve on Pittsburgh's famous "Steel Curtain" defense. In , his second season with the Steelers, Dungy led the team with six interceptions—good for second in the AFC—and helped lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl championship.

Dungy accepted the offer, and in , at the age of 25—younger than many of the players on the team—he began his NFL coaching career. He served as the Steelers' defensive coordinator from to Dungy's name began to surface in conversations about who would become the NFL's first black head coach. Many insiders attributed this lack of interest on the part of owners to Dungy's famously calm demeanor, which was considered unsuited to the position of head coach, a job more often associated with those like the fiery Vince Lombardi.

Still, his desire to break into the head coaching ranks went unfulfilled, even as three other African Americans — Art Shell , Dennis Green , and Ray Rhodes—reached that goal ahead of him. Education : University of Minnesota, BA, Career: Pittsburgh Steelers, defensive back, —78, defensive assistant, , defensive backs coach, —83, defensive coordinator, —88; San Francisco 49ers, defensive back, ; University of Minnesota, defensive backs coach, ; Kansas City Chiefs, defensive backs coach, —91; Minnesota Vikings, defensive coordinator, —95; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach, —; Indianapolis Colts, head coach, —.

Dungy's start at Tampa Bay was not auspicious. At midseason, however, things began to change. As Dungy's system began to sink in, the Buccaneers suddenly started showing signs of life. Under Dungy's leadership, the team picked up where it had left off at the end of the previous season, winning its first five games. Very few of those fans doubted that in Dungy they had finally found somebody capable of peeling the "perennial doormat" label off of their beloved team.

Dungy's calm coaching style earned him the respect and dedication of his players and coaching staff alike. At the same time, he's a no-nonsense guy. You can just be yourself instead of wondering, 'What if I do something wrong and upset the coach? Dungy was the winningest coach in the team's history, but as the season opened with disappointing results, he came under pressure from team owners.

That's what you're judged on. You've got to do something dramatic,'" Dungy told Insight on the News. In the end, composed perseverance was not enough to save Dungy's job. The season closed with a playoff loss to Philadelphia; two days later, he was fired. It wasn't quite good enough, but we're going to go out very proud of what we did.

The team, which had had difficulty enacting the complicated strategies of their previous coach, was glad to have Dungy. Defensive tackle Ellis Johnson told Sports Illustrated , "I've studied film of Tampa's defense for a long time, just because it's such a beautiful thing to watch. Having it here, well, it's been like night and day. Although the team's defensive line struggled to adjust at first, they eventually mastered Dungy's plan.

He went on to lead the Colts for four playoff appearances and three division south titles. Dungy offered the team more than his technical expertise, however. He had a strength of will and a sense of composure that also inspired. The amazing depth of these character traits were highlighted when Dungy experienced a personal tragedy in December At the time, the Colts were Super Bowl favorites, but news of Dungy's son's apparent suicide that month changed the tenor of the team.

Although they ultimately lost in the playoffs that year, the tragedy "unified" the team, observed Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times. They went into the next season united and speaking openly about their faith. Brewer noted that "Dungy handled his despair in a way that will forever be admired. He spoke of his faith, of his Christian beliefs, and how it would carry him through.

Even if you didn't agree with his religion, you were impressed with how strong and stately he appeared in public. The Colts started the season strong, with nine consecutive wins, but close the regular season with four losses in their next six games. Gaining steam through the playoffs, the Colts earned dramatic comeback win over the New England Patriots—in which they scored the winning touchdown in the game's last minute and intercepted a pass on the Patriots' last drive attempt—to capture the AFC Championship and win a trip to the Super Bowl.

Dungy had led his team to its first Super Bowl since moving to Indianapolis in But the issue that most captivated the press was the fact that Dungy and Smith were the first two African-American head coaches to reach the championship round. The game was touted as historic. Tony Dungy is a former professional football player and retired NFL coach.

Beginning his coaching career in , Dungy went on to serve as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later the Indianapolis Colts. He guided the Colts to a Super Bowl victory in The son of educators—his father, Wilbur, was a science professor at Jackson Community College; his mother, Cleomae, taught high school Shakespeare—Dungy and his three siblings were brought up in home where a getting a good education was considered important.

Dungy was both a stellar student and a standout athlete. At 14, he was elected student body president of Jackson's Parkside High School, where he also starred on the basketball, football and track teams. In , Dungy enrolled at the University of Minnesota on a full football scholarship and took the helm as the team's starting quarterback. Over his four-year career with the Gophers, Dungy put up an array of impressive numbers, finishing as the program's career leader in pass attempts, completions, touchdown passing and passing yards.

Despite his college career, no NFL team believed that Dungy's arm would translate well in the pros. After failing to get selected in the NFL draft, Dungy tried out for and made the Pittsburgh Steelers as a converted safety. Playing for legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll, Dungy adapted well to the new position, even leading the team in interceptions during the franchise's Super Bowl—winning season.

The following year, the Steelers traded Dungy to the San Francisco 49ers. On January 12, , Dungy announced his retirement as coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Dungy is also a best-selling author. He is 68 years old as of He is married to Lauren Harris Dungy of Pittsburgh and the couple have seven children together; two daughters and five sons.

His oldest son committed suicide at age 18, outside of Tampa in