Tony Dungy Anthony Kevin " Tony " Dungy ( ; born October 6 , 1955 ) is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League . Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001 , and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008 . Dungy became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl when his Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI . Dungy set a new NFL record for consecutive playoff appearances by a head coach in 2008 after securing his tenth straight playoff appearance with a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars . After the 2008 season , Dungy announced his retirement as coach of the Indianapolis Colts , which went into effect after the 2008 – 2009 season . Since retirement , Dungy has served as an analyst on NBC ' s Football Night in America . Tony Dungy is also the national spokesman for the fatherhood program All Pro Dad . The Colts qualified for the playoffs in every season they were coached by Dungy . NFL career . After playing quarterback in college for the University of Minnesota , Dungy went undrafted in 1976 and was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League as a defensive back . He played as a defensive reserve and special teams player for the Steelers in 1977 and the Super Bowl champion 1978 season , leading the team in interception s in the latter campaign . In 1979 Dungy was traded to the San Francisco 49ers , then finished his career a year later in the training camp of the New York Giants in 1980 . Dungy is the only NFL player since the AFL - NFL merger to intercept a pass and throw an interception in the same game . Dungy was the emergency quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 1977 game against the Houston Oilers when both Terry Bradshaw and Mike Kruczek went down with injuries on October 9 , 1977 . He played safety on defense . Coaching career . Assistant coaching positions . Following his NFL experience as a player , Dungy was invited to become an assistant coach for his alma mater , the University of Minnesota in 1980 . After one season in charge of defensive back s , he was asked to come back to the NFL as a coach . He was hired as an assistant coach with the Steelers by Chuck Noll , his former coach , in 1981 . His work under Noll put Dungy in the Sid Gillman coaching tree . In 1982 , he was named defensive backfield coach , and was promoted in 1984 to defensive coordinator . He left the Steelers in 1989 to become the defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs , and took over the defensive coordinator position for the Minnesota Vikings under Dennis Green in 1992 . While at Minnesota , Dungy ' s defense was ranked first in the NFL . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Dungy achieved his dream of being an NFL head coach when he was hired by Rich McKay to reform the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , a team well known for its lack of success , on January 22 , 1996 . Dungy installed his version of the Cover 2 defense with Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin with a few new wrinkles now known as the famous Tampa 2 . 1996 . Despite finishing with a 6 - 10 record in 1996 , the Buccaneers finished strong and showed signs of developing into a winning team . After a home win versus the Raiders , the Buccaneers fell to a quick 14 – 0 hole to the Chargers in San Diego , where the Buccaneers had not won on the west coast in over 15 years . Instead of folding , the team fought to a hard win . Many Bucs fans believe that this was where the long - beleaguered franchise finally turned the corner . It turned out to be the only losing season Dungy would suffer as a head coach . 1997 . In 1997 , the Buccaneers finished second in the NFC Central division , Tampa Bay ' s first winning season since 1982 after starting the season 5 - 0 matching the only time the Bucs were ever undefeated with as many wins in the 1979 season . In the last game played at Tampa Stadium , the Bucs defeated the Detroit Lions for only their second playoff win in franchise history . They lost the next game to the defending champion Green Bay Packers . 1998 - 2001 . Under Dungy ' s watch , the Buccaneers made four playoff appearances and won their division in 1999 only to lose to the St . Louis Rams in the NFC Championship Game . Under Dungy , Tampa Bay struggled unsuccessfully to reach the playoffs in 1998 . They went on to reach the playoffs again in 1999 , 2000 and 2001 . Also , in his last three playoff games , Tampa Bay was offensively shut out . Constant changes to the offensive coordinator position despite a successful 2000 offensive ranking were often to blame , as QB Shaun King had to work with 3 different coordinators in 3 years . Dungy was fired on January 14 , 2002 due to the club ' s repeated losses in the playoffs including two lopsided defeats ( in 2000 and 2001 ) to the Philadelphia Eagles . Additionally , owner Malcolm Glazer felt Dungy ' s conservative offense was too inconsistent against NFL teams . Dungy thus became the first coach in Bucs history to leave the team with a winning record . The following season , the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII , their first appearance in the championship game . Though Dungy was fired the prior season and replaced with Jon Gruden , Dungy has been credited for constructing the team . Indianapolis Colts . On January 22 , 2002 , Dungy was hired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts , a team that at the time was very potent offensively , but very weak defensively . He installed his " Tampa 2 " defense immediately and continued to retool the Colts ' defense to his liking during his tenure . After joining the Colts , Dungy left the high - powered offense previously installed there by Jim Mora , in both playing style and in personnel , virtually unchanged . Dungy was reunited with Tom Moore , who was retained as offensive coordinator . Moore and Dungy had previously worked together at Minnesota and Pittsburgh . During his early tenure in Indianapolis , Dungy struggled to fix the Colts ' defense and had mixed results in the postseason . In his first season at Indianapolis the Colts were shut out 41 – 0 by the New York Jets in a first - round playoff game , and the team lost postseason games to the New England Patriots in both 2003 ( in the AFC championship game ) and 2004 ( in the second round of the playoffs ) . Dungy signed a three - year contract extension in October 2005 for US $ 5 million per year . The Colts focused on defensive improvements during the 2005 offseason , signing five - year defensive tackle Corey Simon . Widely expected to be a Super Bowl contender , the Colts won their first 13 games , prompting much speculation about the possibility of the Colts becoming the NFL ' s first team to finish the season undefeated since the 1972 Miami Dolphins . Their thirteenth win guaranteed the Colts home field advantage throughout the playoffs . With nothing to play for except the chance to go unbeaten , the Colts lost their 14th game to the San Diego Chargers . The Colts only played their starters sparingly in the last two games . The Colts lost in their first playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl winner Pittsburgh Steelers . This loss made the Colts the first team to ever start a season 13 – 0 and not reach the Super Bowl . The Colts ' 2006 playoff run was characterized by a marked improvement in defensive play , as the Colts defeated the Kansas City Chiefs , holding one of the NFL ' s best running backs to less than 50 yards , and upset the favored Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round . On January 21 , 2007 , after trailing 21 - 3 , the Colts defeated the New England Patriots to become AFC Champions and advanced to Super Bowl XLI . This was the largest comeback in conference title game history . By a matter of only a few hours , Dungy became the second African - American coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl . His good friend , Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith , had clinched the NFC ' s bid in the Super Bowl earlier in the day . On February 4 , 2007 , Dungy and the Colts won Super Bowl XLI 29 – 17 over the Bears at Dolphin Stadium in Miami . On December 23 , 2007 , with a win over the Houston Texans , Dungy won his 72nd game as Colts head coach , passing Don Shula to become the winningest coach in franchise history . On January 21 , 2008 , Dungy announced that he would return at least for the 2008 season . During the 2008 season the Colts won 12 regular season games , including their last 9 straight clinching a wildcard birth , but were upset 23 - 17 in overtime by the San Diego Chargers in the wildcard round of the 2008 – 09 NFL playoffs . Retirement . On January 12 , 2009 , Jim Caldwell who ' d been a long time Colts assistant was chosen as the new head coach for the Indianapolis Colts after being named Dungy ' s future successor a year earlier . On November 1 , 2010 , the Colts added Tony Dungy ' s name to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor located on the middle balcony on the east side of Lucas Oil Stadium . Broadcasting . In June 2009 , NBC Sports hired Dungy to serve as a studio color analyst on the network ' s weekly " Sunday Night Football " pregame show , " Football Night in America " . Coaching firsts . Dungy ' s career has included several notable firsts . Among them , Dungy is the first NFL head coach to defeat all 32 NFL teams . He was also the youngest assistant coach at age 25 and the youngest coordinator at age 28 in NFL history . Dungy was the first African - American head coach to win the Super Bowl ( with the Colts ' victory over the Bears in 2007 ) . He was the third black head coach to win a pro football championship in North America , behind Darren Arbet of the San Jose Sabercats ( Arena Football League ) who won ArenaBowl XVI in 2002 and Pinball Clemons of the Toronto Argonauts ( Canadian Football League ) who won the 92nd Grey Cup in 2004 . Dungy also became the sixth man to play in a Super Bowl and be the head coach of a Super Bowl team . He joins Dan Reeves , Sam Wyche , Mike Ditka , Forrest Gregg and Tom Flores . After the win in Super Bowl XLI , Dungy became the third man to win Super Bowls both as a player and a head coach , following Ditka and Flores . Coaching strategy . On offense , Tony Dungy ' s strategy involved a conservative , ball - control offense based primarily around running the ball and short , high - percentage passes when he was at Tampa Bay . At Indianapolis , he inherited and kept the offense designed by offensive coordinator Tom Moore because the offense was in the hands of someone he knew and trusted . In both cases , most of the offensive planning has been handled by his offensive coordinators . On defense , Dungy used a stifling " Cover 2 " style zone defense , which usually was based around a formation of 4 linemen , 3 linebackers , and 4 defensive backs . The " Cover 2 " defense Dungy used involved his linemen rushing the passer , the cornerbacks covering the passing flat area , the linebackers covering the middle of the field , and the safeties providing deep coverage on each half of their respective zones . While the Cover 2 defense was not a new concept , Dungy contributed to its greater use by systemizing it into an every - down defense . The personnel and techniques that Dungy used in this defense were very specific , and as a result , his style of defense earned the moniker of the " Tampa 2 " around the NFL . Coaching tree . Dungy is also credited with supporting and fostering the development of defensive - minded coaches , notably during his tenure with the Buccaneers . His contributions have had a great effect on the diversity of the league and helped lead to the institution of the Rooney Rule by Steelers owner Dan Rooney , requiring teams to interview minority coaches . Moreover , Rod Marinelli , the defensive line coach under Dungy at Tampa Bay , was the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2006 to 2008 . Mike Shula , the offensive coordinator under Dungy at Tampa , was the head coach at the University of Alabama from 2003 to 2006 . Herman Edwards , the former head coach for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs was an assistant head coach under Dungy at Tampa Bay . Jim Caldwell , an assistant under Dungy in Indianapolis , was promoted to head coach in 2009 , and coached the Colts for three seasons . Joe Barry , a linebackers coach under Dungy at Tampa Bay , was the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2006 to 2008 . Dungy is listed as not only a part of the Bill Walsh coaching tree , but also a part of the Marty Schottenheimer coaching tree . The Dungy tree grew from the roots of the Pittsburgh Steelers ' dynasty of the 1970s . He was influenced by the defensive schemes learned under Chuck Noll and Bud Carson . Dungy said that he inherited most of the coaching philosophies from Noll and he is proud to be a protégé of Noll . Coaching philosophy . Dungy stresses that coaches are essentially teachers who put faith and family ahead of football and do not belittle their players or scream at them . Also , like Dungy , they remain calm when things go badly . They guide instead of goad , and Lovie Smith found that perhaps the most instructive thing of all . Smith said , " We talked about how to do it , being a teacher instead of screaming and yelling , all that stuff . " Smith also said : Dungy said : Dungy also learned from Noll that it takes all 53 of the players on the team to win so that a coach should train the 33rd player on the roster as he would the third player , which has become the spine of Dungy ' s own coaching philosophy , which is the Next Man Up theory of calm coaching . Dungy stressed that a team should have a thought process , a philosophy and the conviction to stick with it , even if the personnel changes during the games because of injuries . Dungy said : Dungy put his coaching beliefs on his memoir , " Quiet Strength : The Principles , Practices , and Priorities of a Winning Life . " ( ISBN 1 - 414 - 31801 - 4 ) Cam Cameron , former head coach of the Miami Dolphins , highly recommended the book by buying 1 , 000 books to give away to football coaches at his preseason coaching clinic in July 2007 in South Florida , and said : Civic involvement . In August 2007 , President George W . Bush appointed Dungy a member of the President ' s Council on Service and Civic Participation . The 25 - member council represents leaders from government , business , entertainment , athletics and non - profit organizations committed to growing the spirit of service and civic participation . The two - year appointment requires attendance at two in - person meetings per year and quarterly phone conversations with assigned committees . After receiving the call from President Bush , Dungy remarked " It was something that was really hard to believe . Certainly , when you go into football coaching , you ’ re not expecting to get presidential appointments to anything . " In March 2009 President Barack Obama invited Dungy to join the Advisory Council on Faith - Based and Neighborhood Partnerships . He declined the invitation to join the council because of scheduling conflicts , as he could make only two of 2009 ' s four council meetings , but agreed to be an informal adviser on fatherhood issues . Personal . Dungy ' s tenure in Tampa Bay as the head coach of the Buccaneers brought greater attention to his personal accomplishments outside of sports . Tony Dungy has earned widespread respect both on and off the field due to what many see as strong convictions and high personal standards of ethics and behavior , which affect his behavior as both a coach and as a member of his community . He has been active in many community service organizations in the cities in which he has coached . While in Tampa Bay , Dungy worked as a public speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action . He began a mentoring program for young people called Mentors for Life , and provided Buccaneers ' tickets for the participants . He also supported other charitable programs in the area such as Big Brothers / Big Sisters , Boys and Girls Club , the Prison Crusade Ministry , foster parenting organizations , and Family First . He continues to assist Big Brothers / Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Club in Indianapolis . He also supports the Black Coaches Association National Convention and Indiana Black Expo . His community involvement and care continues in Indianapolis where Tony helped launch the Basket of Hope program at the Riley Hospital for Children . Basket of Hope is a national , non - profit organization which began in 1995 . Tony is the National Spokesperson for Basket of Hope and delivers the baskets filled with age and gender appropriate toys , games and craft items to Riley Hospital for Children . Along with the baskets , he delivers a Hope Tote , which includes Quiet Strength , a journal , Bible , Christian music , and other inspirational materials . Dungy worked with Basket of Hope and Riley Hospital for Children to implement the Super Baskets of Hope project where 7 , 000 baskets and totes were delivered to the 32 NFL cities and participating hospitals during the weeks surrounding Super Bowl XLVI . Dungy is an evangelical Christian and at one point in his coaching career considered leaving football for the prison ministry . Throughout his career , he has remained involved with community service organizations . On March 20 , 2007 , Dungy aligned himself with a socially conservative organization , the Indiana Family Institute , and openly supported an amendment to the Indiana constitution which would have defined marriage as solely between one man and one woman . Dungy also appeared in a testimonial video on I Am Second , in which he shares his story of his personal relationship with Jesus Christ . Dungy ' s parents were , Wilbur Dungy , Ph . D . , ( 1926 - 2004 ) a science professor at Jackson Community College and Cleomae Dungy ( 1920 - 2002 ) , who taught Shakespeare at Jackson High in Michigan . Wilbur Dungy served as a pilot during World War II pilot with the famed Tuskegee Airmen . Dungy is married to Lauren Harris of Pittsburgh and has two daughters , Tiara and Jade , and five sons , James ( died December 22 , 2005 ) , Eric , Jordan , Justin and Jason . James committed suicide at age 18 , outside of Tampa . The Dungys still keep their home in the Tampa Bay area . Dungy ' s son , Eric , plays football at the University of Oregon . On September 6 , 2007 , " The Indianapolis Star " reported that the Davie - Brown Index ( DBI ) , an independent celebrity rating service for advertisers , places Dungy in the top 15 of the 900 actors , musicians , TV personalities , and sports celebrities it ranks for overall appeal , putting him on a level with actors such as Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman . Among sports figures , he ranks second only to Hank Aaron . On February 27 , 2008 , Indiana Wesleyan University honored Dungy in a ceremony where he was inducted into IWU ' s " Society of World Changers . " Dungy also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the university . On August 5 , 2009 , Dungy spoke at the 53rd General Council of the Assemblies of God . Since retirement , Dungy has become an informal mentor to the formerly suspended NFL player Michael Vick , counseling him during his incarceration and , with the help of Donovan McNabb , convincing Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and head coach Andy Reid to consider signing him to the team ' s roster . Books . Dungy ' s memoir , " Quiet Strength : The Principles , Practices , and Priorities of a Winning Life , " was released on July 10 , 2007 and reached No . 1 on the hardcover nonfiction section of the " New York Times " Best Seller list on August 5 , 2007 and again on September 9 , 2007 . Tyndale House Publishers said it was the first NFL - related book ever ranked No . 1 . When asked why he wrote " Quiet Strength " , Dungy said , Dungy said he ’ d actually gotten " more satisfaction " from the success of " Quiet Strength " than the Super Bowl win . That ’ s because , he said , " I ’ ve gotten so many calls and letters from people saying they really got something out of it , something that helped them . " On January 10 , 2008 , " Quiet Strength " reached 1 , 000 , 000 copies in print . " Quiet Strength " was on the " New York Times " Best Seller List for 32 weeks , including 27 in the top 10 for hardcover nonfiction . Dungy also published a 96 - page paperback called " Quiet Strength : Men ' s Bible Study " on July 18 , 2007 . Dungy challenged men to answer six questions : What ' s my game plan ? What ' s my strength ? What ' s success ? Where ' s my security ? What ' s my significance ? And , what ' s my legacy ? The book is aimed specifically at men , including those who may not otherwise be interested in spiritual matters . When asked if Dungy would consider writing a follow - up to " Quiet Strength " , Dungy said , Dungy published a 24 - page children ' s picture book called " You Can Do It " with Little Simon Inspirations , a division of Simon & Schuster on July 8 , 2008 , reached No . 1 on the children ' s picture books section of the " New York Times " Best Seller list on July 27 , 2008 and stayed on the top 10 for 5 weeks . The book tells the story of Dungy ' s younger brother Linden who struggles , then figures out his life dream and is encouraged by his family to follow that dream as a dentist . Dungy said that his other hopes for " You Can Do It " were that it would encourage parents to read to their kids and that kids would learn the lesson of pursuing whatever field they were gifted in , even if it might be not the popular thing to do . Dungy has also published " Uncommon : Finding Your Path to Significance " , a book revealing lessons on achieving significance that Dungy has learned . The book , released on February 17 , 2009 with Tyndale House Publishers , particularly focuses on what it means to be a man of significance in a culture that is offering young men few positive role models . Dungy said , " Uncommon " reached No . 2 on the hardcover advice section of the New York Times Best Seller list and stayed on the top 10 for 9 weeks . On August 3 , 2010 Dungy released a new book entitled " The Mentor Leader " , which debuted at No . 2 and stayed on the top 10 for 5 weeks on the hardcover advice section of the New York Times Best Seller list . On January 11 , 2011 Dungy and wife Lauren released a new book entitled " You Can Be a Friend " . Their story teaches children what it means to be a good friend . The book debuted at No . 7 and stayed on the top 10 for 1 week on the children ' s picture books section of the New York Times Best Seller list . Endorsements . Dungy graced the cover of " NFL Head Coach 09 " as its " cover coach " . The previous head coach on the cover was Bill Cowher . Coincidentally , both coaches would retire the season after their cover issues were published . Awards . In 2007 Dungy was awarded the Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award by the United States Sports Academy .