Tony Dungy: Rooted in Minnesota Vikings History
Lost in Tony Dungy’s time with the Indianapolis Colts with Peyton Manning and all of his Hall of Fame statistics, are roots deeply embedded in Minnesota Vikings history.
This past week Tony Dungy was just enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and it brought to light many of his connections to Minnesota and the Minnesota Vikings football team. As the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, will be how Tony Dungy is remembered, but his career truly began in college in Minnesota.
In the very beginning Tony Dungy played quarterback for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Dungy went undrafted in the 1977 NFL Draft, but was signed as a safety by the Pittsburgh Steelers where he was played as a defensive reserve and special teams player. His time in Pittsburgh as a player is highlighted in the memories of him in 1977 being the last player in NFL history to intercept a pass and throw an interception in the same game, and in the 1978 Super Bowl season, leading the Steelers in interceptions.
Tony Dungy was traded to the San Francisco 49ers the following season and retired in New York Giants training camp prior to the 1980 NFL season. This is the moment that a hall of fame coaching career beginnings again starting as an assistant with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
With his high potential and defensive prowess a return to the NFL was only 1 year away when he returned to where he started his NFL career, the Pittsburgh Steelers. After 2 seasons he was named defensive coordinator where he remained 6 seasons before leaving and taking a defensive backs coach position for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tony Dungy’s NFL path again changed in 1991 when he was named the new defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. In his 5 seasons at the helm of the Vikings defense, Tony Dungy began to make his case for becoming a Head Coach, including transforming the Minnesota defense in to one that actually led the league in total defense.
Listening to KFAN in the weeks leading up to the Hall of Fame induction WCCO’s Mark Rosen spoke of how during Tony Dungy’s tenure with the team, that he would speak to Dungy on his late night sports show on a regular basis. He spoke of how much of a professional and a gentleman he was and how badly it began to affect him that he was passed over for head coaching positions. Rosen’s final interview with Tony Dungy was in December of 1995, the day before he was set to interview to be the head coach of the 1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The rest of the rise of Tony Dungy came after he was fired following the 2001 season and hired to be the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts before the 2002 season. From 2002 to the end of the 2008 season the Indianapolis Colts, featuring the sheriff Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, and future hall of famer himself Marvin Harrison and revolving cast of role players were perennial Super Bowl contenders. The only reason it took until 2007 for Tony Dungy to finally break through and win a Super Bowl, was that team from Foxborough, Massachusetts, the New England Patriots.
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It was though, in 2007, that Tony Dungy became the first African American head coach, and third coach to win a Super Bowl as a player as well. As a coach Tony Dungy finished his career with a regular season W-L record of 139-69 and a playoff record of 9-10, never failing to make the playoffs with the Indianapolis Colts. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Minnesota Vikings were coached by the late great Denny Green, it would be arguable that Tony Dungy would be “The one who got away”.