Tony Dungy was Unique

First appeared on January 28th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

When the Colts announced the retirement of their head coach recently one thing became clear; Tony Dungy is different. At times the term ”different” can be misconstrued and oftentimes its misuse results in the type of physical altercation we generally spend most of our time attempting to avoid. Upon second thought, Dungy doesn’t wear the word “different” well, you know much like an African Elephant doesn’t wear a size 42 dinner jacket well (the Asian maybe, but definitely not the African).
When describing the man Tony Dungy is, perhaps unique is the more tailored fit. No matter the terminology, Dungy was not the prototypical NFL head coach. We sit in awe of how such a soft spoken man inspired grown men, and by “grown” we mean 6’4 280 pounds, to go out and pound each other senseless for 16 straight weeks. Perhaps the most perplexing question of all is “How could Tampa Bay have ever fired this guy?”
The question casting a shadow over Dungy’s latest moment is how he will be remembered. Will it be as the coach Colts owner Jim Irsay “Airwolfed” into Indianapolis? Perhaps he will be remembered for becoming the first man to defeat all 32 teams in the league or will his consecutive streaks be the marks that stand the test of time best: 12 win seasons (6) and playoff appearances (10). Maybe history will simply recall him as the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl.
We can’t pretend to know what time will do to Tony Dungy. What we can say with great clarity however is Dungy won games and he won games with class. There were no sour grapes squashed over the inconsistencies of NFL officiating. Even after it was discovered that his arch nemesis Bill Bellichek was clearly cheating by videotaping the signals of opponents, Dungy didn’t cry fowl or petition the league to replay the playoff losses he suffered at the hands of the Hoodies Patriots. He prodded his players to be active in the community, and perhaps most importantly, they were held to a higher ethical standard; a standard which, to a man, the Colts seemed to find inspiration in.
All of these things are rare in coaching today. We live in an insatiable, coach eat coach world. A world where many coaches sacrifice standards for players who give them the best chance for winning. Dungy’s constant winning was a product of an unwavering faith in a rock solid system. Of course it was Tony Dungy’s work ethic that made the system ultra-efficient. Fundamental in nature, this work ethic ultimately became the backbone of a franchise as well. Hard work enabled the Colts to maintain a plentiful crop of blue collar players who, like apples ripe on the branch, could be harvested at a moment’s notice allowing the Colts drumbeat to continue Sunday after Sunday.
Most agree Dungy’s best days likely lay ahead. Some believe he will carve a niche out helping incarcerated youth. Others say it’s only a matter of time before President Obama picks up the red phone (or perhaps it will be blue) to call Dungy into the service of his nation. Whatever the cause there is little evidence he will spend the next chapter of his life on the couch inhaling Fritos while cursing the Sunday play calling.
Come what may, the one thing that should never be forgotten is Tony Dungy not only operated on his own terms but he left on his own terms as well; and by doing so it’s a select group indeed which he has joined.