To say that the news that Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy decided to retire shocked me would be a lie. Coach Dungy was a great coach, man of faith and most importantly a fantastic human being.
Looking at the statistics, Dungy coached the Colts to six 12-plus win seasons in a row. Dungy only missed the postseason and had a losing season only one time in his 13 year career and that was when he took over an awful Tampa Bay franchise. Finally, to top things off Dungy and the Colts also won Super Bowl 41.
It's the kind of man that Tony Dungy will be remembered for. He never cursed his players and always conducted himself in an even-keiled manner. During the Colt's attempt at a perfect season in 2005, Dungy's son committed suicide and Dungy kept plugging away at his season after experiencing the kind of hurt nobody could ever imagine.
Tony Dungy has everything to coach for. Possibly the best quarterback in NFL history in Peyton Manning, a great wide-receiving core in Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzales. Dungy has Joseph Addai running the ball and a good defense led by Dwyte Freeney and Bob Sanders. However, Dungy has decided to walk away from that to focus on doing other things in the world.
Tony Dungy is a great man of faith and is one of few people in the world who actually cares about the well-being of others. Coach Dungy is going make the switch from coaching football to coaching life and true youth.
The Colts will be fine with the talent that they have. Indianapolis may go on to win another Super Bowl or two while Peyton Manning is still there. However, that will just be a note in history, Tony Dungy's work will stand out. He is a great human being who was able to walk away on his own terms with a plan, a plan to help others. He was the first African-American Head Coach to win a Super Bowl and has paved the ways for others to follow in his footsteps. I applaud your decison Mr. Dungy and thank you for your future contributions to the world.
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