Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy holds the distinction of being the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl, beating the Chicago Bears on February 4, 2007. Dungy, at that time, was head coach for the Indianapolis Colts.

Dungy was one of four children born to Wilbur, a physiology professor and Cleomae, a high school English teacher. He was born October 5, 1955 in Jackson, Michigan. At the age of fourteen, Dungy was written up in “Sports Illustrated” magazine, which talked about his high school athletic accomplishments.

He went to college at the University of Minnesota and entered the National Football League as a free agent in 1977. He was picked up by the Pittsburg Steelers and played there for two seasons as a reserve special teams player. He was traded to San Francisco in 1979 and retired the next year.

He held various coaching jobs before being named head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996. He left Tampa Bay to become head coach for the Indianapolis team in 2002 and he is still there today.

Dungy and his wife, Lauren, had six children, daughters Tiara and Jade and four sons, Eric, Jordan, Justin and James. On December 22, 2005, James Dungy, 18, was found dead in his Tampa apartment, an apparent suicide. James death saddened the Indianapolis Colts as well as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and football fans across the nation.

Warren Sapp of the Oakland Raiders was quoted as saying, Tony Dungy was “the greatest man I’ve ever met.” Undoubtedly, these feelings are shared by coaches, players and fans everywhere.