SportsFullCircle

Several reports have informed SFC that Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy will step down and retire. An official announcement will be made today in a press conference called for by the Colts.

Dungy had been in the NFL since 1977. From 1977-1980, he was a defensive back, playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Fransisco 49ers, and New York Giants. He won the Superbowl with Pittsburgh in 1978, but never made it out of the Giants practice squad in 1980. Shortly after, he retired.

After retiring as a player, Dungy became the Defensive Backs Coach at the University of Minnesota in 1980. He served as the Defensive Backs Coach and later the Defensive Coordinator for the Steelers from 1981-1988. Dungy was the Defensive Backs Coach for the Kansas City Cheifs from 1989-1991, and was the Minnesota Vikings’ Defensive Coordinator from 1992-1995.

After leaving the Vikings, Dungy was given his first job as Head Coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and coached the Bucs from 1996-2001. When Dungy took over in Tampa, the Buccaneers were known as a terrible team and never acheived much success. But in 4 of his 6 seasons with Tampa Bay, Dungy lead the Bucs to the playoffs. The year after he left the Buccaneers, they won Superbowl 37.

Dungy became Head Coach of the Colts in 2002. With Indianapolis, Dungy was by far most successful, as the Colts made the playoffs in each of his years as Coach. In the 2006-2007 season, Dungy lead the Colts to and won Superbowl 41, his only Superbowl victory in his 28 years as a coach.

Since then though, his team lost to the San Diego Chargers twice in the playoffs, and he never won another playoff game after his lone Superbowl victory as a coach. It was in a press conference prior to the 2009 Wild Card Playoff Game against San Diego that Dungy announced he would consider retirement after the season ended.

Dungy finishes his coaching career with a 139-69 Regular Season record and a 9-10 Playoffs record. He was a great NFL coach, and retires at the age of 53.