Tony Dungy announces retirement

UPDATE, 5:33 p.m. -- Tony Dungy announces in a news conference that he will step down after seven seasons as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE, 4:17 p.m. -- Colts cornerback Marlin Jackson told ESPN's  "SportsCenter" that Tony Dungy met with players, including Jackson, on Monday to tell them he was retiring.

"I let him know how great it was to play for him and what respect I have for him," Jackson is quoted as saying.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy will step down as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, according to Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com.

The Colts have scheduled a 5 p.m. news conference, presumably to announce Dungy's resignation.

Citing unnamed sources, Glazer reports that Dungy is saying goodbye to players and team employees at the team's headquarters and assuring them of a smooth transition under new coach Jim Caldwell.

Dungy reportedly mulled over the decision with his family and decided it was best to step down now, ''while the Colts' nucleus was still intact.''

(AP photo. Click to enlarge.)

Comments

[e]

Dungy GM Bucs?
e

[Tampa 2]

The Bucs better not go anywhere near this Bum!

[Caleb]

Good, not everyone in Indy(including myself) has been impressed with our playoff performances. Of course, we're not impressed with Jim Caldwell either.

Here's hoping the Colts fire Ron Meeks and get a real D Coordinator now that Tony is gone.

[Nick]

Definately a better evaluator of talent than someone we have here.

[Robert]

Caleb, what kind of knucle head are you? That man has put you in the playoffs every year he has been there! He also has won you a superbowl ring! You don't know jack! He is an awesome coach and even better person! I'm sure your Indy fans really agree and are ready for a new coach. Do me a favor, don't comment on here until you really understand football and have picked one up and maybe thrown it once or twice! I'll take Tony in our front office and this is where his family is!

[Robert]

Only coach to go to the playoffs 10 straight seasons! I wish we had a coach like that. Oh yeah, we did!

[Larry]

Good for Dungy! It's got to be hard to put family over career. Fortunately for Tony he's likely got more money than he'll ever need and was willing to make the choice that's best for he and the family.

If I were the GruAllen team, though, I'd be popping Maalox pills like they were Pez candies. Having one of the most successful coaches in NFL history living less than 15 miles from 1 Buc Place puts enormous pressure on both of them to perform. If 2009 is successful then the talk dies down, but if it isn't???

[Sharon in the Park]

What a shame! One of the winningest coaches in football. I know he wants to be with his family but the Colts still gave other families good clean sports. And what a winner Tony Dungy is! In the playoffs ten straight years!! Well, at least we'll have him in Tampa Bay. (And I still think the Glazers were out of their minds!)

[Caleb]

Oh wow, we get in the playoffs and we're one and done, what kind of knuckle head are you?

Did he fix the defense in Indy? No.

Polian drafted a ton of defensive guys for him and we've NEVER EVER had a top ranked unit. Oh, and what went to sleep in the playoffs this year? OH, that's right...Dungy's amazing defense.

[Nick]

I like how Bruce Allen said, We drafted Dre Moore knowing that we would "redshirt" him in the first year. Why would you waste a fourth round pick on him. If this is our philosophy, we need a new one.

[mockdraught]

Tony, when you retire, stay retired. You earned it.

That said, I don't recall any one game where you could say Tony "outcoached" the competetion. His strength has been his silent leadership and ability to put his own ego aside and let his expert coordinators do their jobs better than he himself could.

That is what being a head coach should be all about.

What we have here in GruAllen is an able but spoiled coach who got his bosses to bring in his enabler, Bumbling Bruce. Gruden needs a strong GM who's great at evaluating personnel and doesn't give in to every pout of the coach.

[BC]

Class person and I wish him well. However, I can't imagine that the Colts organization is satisfied with only one super bowl championship and a bunch of one-and-dones in the playoffs....with the best QB in the NFL. For all of those Gruden bashers that blame the Glazers for firing Dungy, would things be any better with Dungy?

[maarnold1775]

Tony's a great guy, but for whatever reason, he couldn't do it here in Tampa. Going to the playoffs doesn't mean anything, unless you win the Superbowl and right now Tony and Jon are even. So, before you start talking about Tony's team, that won the Superbowl, just remember who got the Raiders to the Superbowl, not Callahan. That was Jon's team! Had Jon stayed with the Raiders one more year, I believe Jon's team would have handed Tony's team another loss to add to his collection!

[Jay]

In spirit, Gruden made it to the Superbowl two years in a row. He was just robbed of the first one on a BS call. Tuck rule my butt...

[Valrico Rick]

If you want to go down the "in spirit" path Dungy should have taken the Bucs to the Super Bowl when they lost to the Rams. That call was so bad that they changed the rule the next year. The Bert Emmanual rule says that the ball can contact the ground if the receiver has control of it. I'll take Dungy's ten straight trips to the playoffs over this Gruden effort. The problem with the "Gruden is better" argument is that the Bucs aren't getting better. It's been 7 years and the team is worse than when he arrived. Unfortunatly, next year he won't be able to hide behind a great defense so the true Gruden will finally be visible.

[TriplePlay]

Caleb you poor little runt. Did your Mommy take away your Nintendo when you loaded your pants coz you didn't want to stop a certain level in mario bros.?

[drspb]

Dungy had his faults and detractors (believe me I'm not convinced he's that great) but when you consider W's, and a super bowl win and a feel good legacy and leaving on his own terms, ect... you gotta have respect for the man. Many people thought the Glazers were reaching when they picked him from the assistant ranks (he had been passed over more times than you can count) and he had a rough start in Tampa, but ever since then the memories of Bucco Bruce and the Yucs are just that, bad memories.

[Garick]

Sorry everyone, I've been MIA. Well Dungy was a class act, so no complaints here. But lets face it, he has had enough talent with the Colts to have won 2 or 3 Superbowls. That's not a knock, everything has to go just right to get there and win one...that's just the way it is.

And not that I agree with Caleb, but he sort of sounds like a few of you "so called Bucs fans" who likes to hate any coach you get in here. Probably 10 years ago, those were the same Gruden haters telling anybody who would listen that Dungy should get the ax. Why don't you powder puffs just move on to some other team???

[brianj]

Okay, let's put up with Gruden for another year. Then, let's bring Dungy back (McKay also) and build a team; then, let's bring Chucky back and win ourselves a Super Bowl. This should be our new five year plan.

[Lene]

Mr. Dungy has retired, so it is not really about the game any more, statistics, wins, and losses.

It is about Tony Dungy the man.

Tampa will be so proud to have you living in this area again Mr. Dungy and family.

You have been missed.

What a great human being you are.

[Drew]

TriplePlay, ran into the Iron Sheik the other day and he's talking some serious BS. He told me, he'd make you his little sissy girl the next time your paths crossed.

If I were you I wouldn't take that kind of BS. I'd rip his head off and $h!t down his neck.

[Caleb]

Wow, I say I'm disappointed with one and done's in the playoffs and everybody goes "OMGZ, YOU HATEZ DA TONY DUNGY, HOW DARE U". Just because I wanted a coaching change doesn't mean I didn't like Dungy.

[Trey]

Bring the flames!

I am a LIFELONG Bucs fan (since 78) and seem to be the only person i know that knew Dungy was over-rated. The credit he gets for "building" the Bucs actually belongs to Sam Wyche. Wyche drafted the lynchpins of the Buc's defense, and then Gruden brings in offensive talent and an aggressive approach and we win the big one.

He is constantly sold as the greatest humanitarian in the sport, but leaves his troubled son all alone thousands of miles away so he could lose another first round playoff game?

I will be glad to stop hearing about "the great" Tony Dungy...

[Drew]

Finally listened to the Bruce allen press conference and here's my take on the future of this team.

It's true that the Bucs have been rebuilding. What's amazing about the process is how competitive they've been (look at the KC, SF and OAK win records). In my opinion, that's great coaching with a very savy front office.

The nucleus of this team is getting younger at all positions. Players are being groomed by the Old Guard and at some point in time the Guard will change.

Unfortunately, many of you fail to recognize a dynasty, future leaders and players are in the process of being developed.

I take my hat off to the Glazers, Allen and Gruden. Kudo's to all of you and I can't wait for the years of winning to begin.

Thank You...

[brianj]

Come on Drew, who are you really? Jon? Bruce? Malcom? Jay? Bryan? Thanks for slummng with us--how did you come up with the name Drew?

[OAR]

Brianj, just cause someone on here disagrees with you haters, doesn't mean their wrong. Wow sounds like something you haters say to us. BTW: Just a funny little thought, do you know your initails are BJ?
Val, I thought you were "done"? Cracks me up you bringing up the "Bert catch", which I agree, but was he in the endzone? No. So to say we would have won is not realistic. They still would had to have scored a td to win that game. With an 11-6 score, not even a fg would have tied it.

[brianj]

I'm actually not a hater of any sort; just try to bring a little levity to so self-serious people. Oh my goodness, my initials are what!? Imagine what Upton goes through!

[Stacy]

I am proud to have met the Gentleman and very happy for his retirement. I would imagine it tough to have a son commit suicide and still be man enough to honor a contract to coach a team in Indy while your family stayed in Tampa -because that is where they wanted be. I am a Floridian and dont want to be around many of you. Put yourself in the mans shoes and then tell me he is not a better man than you.

[Trey]

"still be man enough to honor a contract"

ROFLMAO!

That is like saying Any Reid is a good man because he honored his contract with the birds rather than take the time to raise his sons so they wouldn't have all the legal and drug problems.

NFL coaches are selfish human beings that work 100+ hours a week because of their ego. That is what it takes to win at the highest level in any arena (sports, Fortune 500, etc.) That is a choice they make, let's not make them out to be heroes for it!

[Stacy]

Trey - U wrote "seem to be the only person i know that knew Dungy was over-rated" referring to yourself. I prefer to agree with the 100's of thousands of others that respect the man. I guess we r all wrong and you could be right? LMAO. BTW - Andy Reid was home with his kids - just ignoring them. Mr. Dungy was thousands of miles from his children and now recognizes that the important thing in life is his family and what he can bring to the goodness of children. It is not even worth my time to respond to this.

[Trey]

Stacy you are a sheep, keep believing everything you hear, it will get you far in life...

[shane]

trey you are not the only one that believes that dung-y was, lets get the crowd tuned up, "OVERRATED!" the man was supposed to be a defensive guru right but the colts defense never got any better and dungy has never truly won a superbowl the colts team he took to the SB was the previous coach's team not his, hmm sounds like i took a page out of the Gruden hater's book there, and the only reason he won that game is because rex grossman sucks and peyton manning is a genius at the QB position. And if i remember when dung-y and gruden faced each other with THEIR teams in 99 gruden whipped dung-y's 45-0 back when he was with oakland

[shane]

but before you people believe that i don't respect dungy let me tell you otherwise i'm glad he did what he did, not glad that he lived off of monte's defensive innovation, in turning the team around but the love affair that tampa bay fans have with him is just sickening. if you want to win in this game you can't be afraid to step on toes and get in people's faces and that is what gruden does and to prove that and i know DR is going to hate me for this but do you guys remember a couple of men named bill parcells and bill cowher? enough said

[brianj]

You have to be a pretty miserable person not to like Tony Dungy; misery often reveals itself in incoherant ramblings.

[Stacy]

Trey - I am a sheep? I am an ex-player (safety) that would have loved to have played against someone of your ilk. I did not say I "heard" anything. I said I met the Gentleman. You r pretty argumentative for someone who I feel has probably never played but like to demean people on blogs. There r quite a few of your type on these blogs I see. I would like to know the type of person that you respect?

[Stacy]

Trey - another thing - rereading your contradicting ramblings - you say "NFL coaches are selfish human beings that work 100+ hours a week because of their ego. That is what it takes to win at the highest level in any arena". Which is it? Do they work so many hours because of their ego's - or - Is that what it takes to win? I personally think it is both with emphasis on the latter, but see you would have to have played something other than chess or be on the debate team to understand that!

[Stacy]

Trey - BTW - You also wrote "keep believing everything you hear, it will get you far in life". I am 47 and have been retired for 2 years - so I guess your right? I think I'll keep doing it my way.

[D Block]

Wow im almost shocked @ some of the post here. Dungy i feel that most of the fans wish u the best i do as well. Dungy did do a lot as a coach here he installed the winning ways here, we did have heartbreacking exits from the playoffs. I remember them well but i also remember going 2 the playoffs every yr. That is success we all know u can't win the SB if u can't make the playoffs.

[D Block]

I know we won the SB with Gruden which was great. The D won that SB it was the best yr our D ever had plain & simple. Chucky did light a lil fire under the O but he didn't bring that many new pieces hardly any. Our D scored 3 or 4 TD's n the SB!!

[Drew]

I've been pretty quiet on this subject, but I'll offer my take on Dungy. The thing that Dungy brought to this team can't be measured in the Win/Loss column. Dungy was a great teacher of character and on how to be a winner. When you look at his record, you're right no SB, failure in the playoffs. However, if you look at the players as Men of character you'll see Dungy staring back at you.

[Sunglasses Future]

Been unable to get here the past couple days. Just want to say, thank you Coach (that's what Dungy always has been, whether in football or life). I know your accomplishments are not over, but still accept our gratefullness. Thank you for allowing us to take the bags off head. Thank you for demonstrating your faith and getting us to believe this community and team could win. Part of Ray Jay should bear your name. How bout the SS Dungy for the pirate ship? Thank you for allowing us to even think about putting on our Shades. Stay the path, further success and fullfillment lay ahead.