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University of Minnesota Athletics
Tony Dungy: A Legend to 'U' and the Pros
2/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Growing up in Jackson, Mich., some would have thought that Tony Dungy would have gone to the University of Michigan, the neighboring school just 30 miles away in Ann Arbor. But at the impressionable age of six or seven, his father Wilbur Dungy brought him to a memorable football game at Michigan in 1960, in which Minnesota won 10-0.
At Frost Junior High School, Dungy was something special, not only with his athletic talents but also with his classroom accomplishments. Dungy became class president at the age of 14 while maintaining honor student status. He was the leading scorer on his junior high basketball team and was also undefeated in the high and low hurdles and the long jump in track.
In high school he led his team at Parkside to an 8-2 won-lost record his senior year and completed 91 of 167 passes for 24 touchdowns and 1,467 yards. It didn't surprise anybody that Dungy was a unanimous Class A All-State section for such a spectacular senior season. He also obtained all-state honors for basketball and baseball.
When Dungy was recruited by the University of Minnesota in 1972 he was looked on primarily as a running quarterback for the Veer-T offense then in use by head coach Cal Stoll and the Gophers. But when he reached his third season, Stoll went to a pro style set which required a strong passing arm and a "running quarterback."
It was a slow process towards stardom at Minnesota for Dungy that by no means came on a platter for the small quarterback. On Nov. 6, 1973, the freshman started his first game on his 18th birthday against Nebraska with home crowd support. He ended that season with 156 yards rushing and 97 yards passing. Dungy also earned a varsity basketball letter at Minnesota, but gave up the sport to concentrate on football after his freshman year.
As a sophomore, he started his first three games and was then hit with the injury bug. In the third game during the 1974 season, he suffered strained ligaments in his left knee and a shoulder injury cut his efficiency. Ending that season having played injured most of the way, he finished with 417 yards rushing, 612 yards passing for 1,029 total yards.
But taking the quarterback role seriously at the University of Minnesota, he began to show perfection during his junior campaign in 1975 as a healthy athlete. Dungy set a then-school record with 15 TD passes and also finished that season ranked fifth in the nation in both total offense and passing. He was named United Press International (UPI) back of the week for a 38-0 win over Western Michigan on Sept. 20.
Dungy's senior season was another success for the Golden Gophers and he was chosen the team's most valuable player for the second year in a row, in addition to being named team captain. He was also awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor as a senior for combining the best academic and athletic skills for four years. Following his senior season Dungy had the opportunity to play in the East-West Shriners game and the Hula and Japan Bowl.
Dungy finished his career in 1976 as the school's all-time leader in pass attempts (576), completions (274), passing yards (3,515), touchdown passes (25) and total offense (4,680). After completing his senior year as a Golden Gopher, Dungy was ranked fourth in Big Ten history in total offense. As of now, he sits seventh on the all- time total offense list and 15th for completions in Minnesota school history. Other Golden Gophers have surpassed him in the other categories.
Similarly to high school, academics played a huge role in his life along side with football. Dungy was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection for Minnesota and was a Williams Scholar (an athlete with a B or better grade average) since the end of his freshman year, the first time that he could have qualified. He graduated in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
After the University of Minnesota days, Dungy began his NFL playing career in 1977 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and became a member of the 1979 Steelers' Super Bowl championship team. He also played one season for the San Francisco 49ers before beginning his coaching career as a defensive backs coach at the University of Minnesota in 1980.
In 1981, he became the youngest assistant coach in the NFL when he joined the Steelers' defensive staff at the age of 25. In 1984, at 28 years old, he became the youngest coordinator in the league when the Steelers selected him to run their defense. After eight seasons in Pittsburgh, he served as defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989-1991.
From 1992-95, Dungy returned to Minnesota where he was the highly successful defensive coordinator for the Vikings and on Jan. 22, 1996, he was named head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He stayed with Tampa Bay until 2002 when he was hired as the Indianapolis Colts head coach where he now resides.
In his third year with the Colts so far Dungy headed the Colts to a 10-6 record and a second-place finish in the AFC South in 2002. During his second season he created a 12-4 record with his club, won the AFC South and advanced to the AFC Championship Game. This past season he brought a 13-5 record to the plate losing in the AFC Divisional Playoff contest to the New England Patriots.
Always being a family oriented man with the support of his parents Wilbur and Cleomae, sister Lauren and brother Linden, he has now carried that into his professional life with a family of his own. Married to his wife Lauren whom he met while he was a defensive backs coach with the Steelers he now has three children Tiara, James and Eric.
