Dungy to retire after 7 years as Colts' coach

kmart6

Tony Dungy is retiring after seven years as coach of the Indianapolis Colts, according to reports Monday.

He was meeting with players throughout the day to say goodbye, and will be replaced by assistant Jim Caldwell, the reports said, citing unidentified sources. The move comes a little more than a week after the Colts were eliminated from the playoffs.

Repeated messages were left by The Associated Press on Dungy’s cell phone. Coaches, team officials, players and friends would not confirm the move.

FoxSports.com was the first to report Dungy’s decision.

The plan to have Caldwell replace Dungy was put in place last year when the coach pondered retirement. Caldwell joined Dungy’s staff in Tampa Bay in 2001, then moved with Dungy to the Colts in 2002 and was the quarterbacks coach. A year ago, Caldwell was elevated to associate head coach though he continued to coach Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi.

Dungy has spent the past five years debating whether to leave football, each year taking about a week to meet with his family, which now lives in Tampa. He has always said when he left, he would not return.

He has always listed his priorities as faith, family and football, and 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 decision ends a 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.

Dungy finishes his career as the Colts’ franchise leader in victories, going 85-27 in the regular season and 7-6 in the playoffs.

But Dungy’s teams were also eliminated from the playoffs four times without winning a game, including the past two seasons after winning the Super Bowl — prompting some to speculate that Dungy’s indecision may have hurt the Colts’ focus.

Dungy 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.

He’s the only coach in NFL history to produce six straight 12-win seasons and 10 consecutive playoff appearances.

Dungy’s career, which includes an all-time league-high average of 10.7 regular-season wins, also included tragedy. In December 2005, his son, James, committed suicide while attending school in Tampa. He left the Colts for one game, then received the game ball from his players after they made a goal-line stand to beat Arizona in the season-finale.

The Colts’ season ended two weeks later with a shocking loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

Dungy always said he intended to retire by the time he turned 50, but hung around longer because he enjoyed the game and the Colts players.

But his family priorities won out this time. His son, Eric, will be a high school senior in the fall, and those close to him thought Dungy wanted to accompany his son on college visits.

Caldwell’s only other head coaching experience came at Wake Forest, where he went 26-63 from 1993-2000.

eagle eye

I thought he was gong to go this year after listening to him in an interview a couple of weeks back.

He will be a big loss to the game. A certain Hall of Famer in the not too distant future.

I wish him well in his retirement.

One thing though, I just know he will get the bug as the draft approaches. That will hurt him, I wonder if he will go into the TV end of things, it doesn't seem to be his style but it would be great if he did.

RichTea

The universally loved coach and all around legend that is Tony Dungy.

eagle eye

Ok I admit it, I also have this \0/ feeling. What a difference we get Brady back and the Colts have no Dungy.:D

kmart6

But Jim Caldwell as Head Coach. It had been announced before this season that Caldwell would be taking over so I don't think that'll be a problem next season.

Arthur Daley

Thanks to Tony Dungy for all those winning seasons capped by that superbowl night. He had quite a record,and will be difficult to replace. He is a class character.

davyjose

Arthur Daley wrote: »

Thanks to Tony Dungy for all those winning seasons capped by that superbowl night. He had quite a record,and will be difficult to replace. He is a class character.

+1billion

I still feel he's leaving with unfinished business, myself. Just 1 Superbowl with that team doesn't feel right. Having said that, maybe he feels this team is on the decline. It's very possible.
You can't argue with the guys record, but there were definite holes in that team this season. Perhaps a good draft/free agency trade would have restored that, but we'll never know. Whatever the Colts do now, they won't be his.

A sad day for Football and for Indy.


To the future....

kmart6

I can't see him being back in a head coaching role, he is bery determined to continue his church work(bad phrasing I know)!

Arthur Daley

davyjose wrote: »

+1billion

I still feel he's leaving with unfinished business, myself. Just 1 Superbowl with that team doesn't feel right. Having said that, maybe he feels this team is on the decline. It's very possible.
You can't argue with the guys record, but there were definite holes in that team this season. Perhaps a good draft/free agency trade would have restored that, but we'll never know. Whatever the Colts do now, they won't be his.

A sad day for Football and for Indy.


To the future....

While I like Tony D a lot, I think once the desire to finish is there it's time to go and for everyone to move on. Arguably now in hindsight maybe Tony should have gone last year or after the superbowl if that was his thing. If his heart was in it it's clear that ordinarily he would be way off retiring age,and have a lot to give a coaching job. What happened to his son in Dec 2005 must have been a major strain on him also.

I like to see continuity also, and it obviously works well for Peyton to have the QB coach come in. It's important to redouble the efforts now to do justice to everything Peyton has given the Colts. I just hope the new coach works out. First off is sorting out special teams.

Chucky the tree

Legend of a coach and seemed like a class act. God I'd love it if he went to the Raiders.

Rented Mule

Class act.

He turned around two franchises that were in desperate need of help along the way. They both went on to win Super Bowls (one with Dungy and one after he left).

ReacherCreature

RichTea wrote: »

The universally loved coach and all around legend that is Tony Dungy.

Totally agree. And I'm a Patriot. :pac: