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Colts' Tony Dungy Retires
Photo - Head coach - Tony Dungy
Colts' head coach Tony Dungy retired today after seven seasons in Indianapolis, owner Jim Irsay announced. Dungy met with players throughout the day to say goodbye, ending a thirteen year head coaching career in both Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. Dungy is the only coach in NFL history with six straight 12-win seasons and 10 consecutive playoff appearances. The announcement comes a little more than a week after the Colts were eliminated from the playoffs vs a loss to the Chargers. Beyond his fine coaching record and Super Bowl victory, Dungy has been one of the classiest leaders in the NFL over his long tenure. He has always listed his priorities as faith, family and football, and was able to maintain those values throughout his long career. He returned to coach in 2008 when the Colts opened the new Lucas Oil Stadium only after team owner Jim Irsay agreed to let Dungy use a private jet to commute home.
The Colts plan will have assistant Jim Caldwell replace Dungy that has been in place for the last year when the head coach pondered retirement. Caldwell joined Dungy's staff in Tampa Bay in 2001, then moved with him to the Colts in 2002 where he was the quarterbacks coach before being elevated to associate head coach. The retirement decision ends a coaching tenure in Indianapolis during which Dungy became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl. He reached the playoffs all seven seasons, winning five division titles and appearing in two AFC title games. He finishes his career as the Colts' franchise leader in victories, going 85-27 in the regular season and 7-6 in the playoffs. His overall coaching record is 148- 79 including the NFL playoffs. He also spent six seasons in Tampa Bay, rejuvenating a moribund franchise and turning it into a perennial Super Bowl contender in the late 1990s and the early part of this decade. The 53-year-old coach left Tampa with a career record of 54-42 in the regular season, becoming the winningest coach in franchise history there, too, and got the Buccaneers to the NFC title game in 1999.