TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) -Tony Dungy never lost his passion for football.He simply wanted to do more than win games and rings.
Six months after leaving the NFL, Dungy has accepted a bigger challenge – helping others – with the same vigor he brought to the field for more than three decades. Whether it’s the high-profile case of Michael Vick or the lower-profile project of advising high school athletes through an instructional movie, retirement hasn’t changed Dungy’s mission.
“It’s a chance for me to not necessarily just speak to 23 to 35-year-old football players,” Dungy said from his Florida home. “I talked at the Northwestern Mutual annual meeting and have spoken to junior high kids. It’s been exciting and the Vick thing has taken on a life of its own.”
Indeed, the Vick matter has overshadowed Dungy’s other work.
council.
What’s on Dungy’s docket?
Well, there is that weekly gig he landed at NBC. He’s also been criss-crossing the country for book signings and speeches, is still involved with the prison ministry and, of course, working with Vick at the urging of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
“What people don’t understand is that maybe you’ve done this 50 times before with someone, but it’s not with someone with as high a profile as Mike,” Dungy said. “I’ve done it with young guys who are just getting out of jail and you feel good when they come back and say ‘You helped me a little bit.”’
Dungy fits the profile of role model perfectly.
He earned the respect of players and the reverence of fans with his stoic presence and genteel nature.
In seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, he never threatened to bench a player and rarely raised his voice. Instead of casting blame after the Colts’ 41-0 playoff loss at New York in January 2003, Dungy told players not to let it cloud their achievements. And when the Buccaneers finally won the championship during his first season in Indy, Dungy offered wholehearted congratulations.
Yet he never wanted to be in the spotlight unless he could do something meaningful. That’s what his retirement is all about.
oward high school coaches, players and players’ families, and includes a star-studded cast. Three-time league MVP Peyton Manning, 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders and other Colts are prominently featured. Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin talks about making right and wrong decisions. Southern California coach Pete Carroll talks about recruiting. Colts strength coach Jon Torine discusses weightlifting, supplements and steroids.
The overall message is something Dungy’s players heard repeatedly.
“You want to talk about drills and things that players can do to make themselves better on the field,” Dungy said. “But if you only do that, it’s not going to help them in the long run. What makes great people and players is what you do with your life. Don’t fall into the trap of abuse of drugs or alcohol or freedom.”
What has changed is how Dungy can express those views.
Without the time constraints of being an NFL coach, Dungy has taken his campaign on the road. He can fly in and out of cities whenever he wants, speak in classrooms and attend book signings even when they came with rumors about Vick, which happened last week when he was in Rochester, N.Y.
He can spend more time with his family, too, something he always preached to his coaching staff.
And although the pulpit is different from the bullhorn of the NFL, Dungy’s successful record may get more peo ple to listen.
When he accepted the Tampa Bay job in 1996, the Bucs were perennial losers. He left six years later with more wins than any coach in franchise history. In Indy, he guided the Colts to seven straight playoff appearances, became the first black coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, and retired with the franchise record for wins.
That’s what football fans remember.
Players were drawn to Dungy for another reason.
“He was a coach and mentor, almost a father figure kind of guy,” said Colts defensive captain Gary Brackett, who also appears in the movie. “He was so consistent in what he believed that he gave you the same answer whether it was in the heat of battle or in the locker room. That’s why he was so successful.”
Others will get a chance to see his convictions now.
But Dungy hasn’t left the game completely behind.
He will spend the next couple of weeks preparing for his first NBC telecast and stays in touch with Colts coach Jim Caldwell. In fact, Manning sent a text message to Dungy the day the Colts reported to training camp.
“You know, I’ve really not missed it,” Dungy said. “I wondered how it would be this time of year, and I just have so much going on, that I don’t really miss it.”
That’s because Dungy keeps finding new projects.
, “Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance,” was released earlier this year.
He’s been more involved in the recruitment of his son, Eric, now a high school senior in Tampa, and businesses want him to give motivational talks.
Had he not been in the NFL, Dungy may never gotten these opportunities.Now that he’s retired, he finally has a chance to fulfill what he believes is his calling.
“I’m doing all the things I did before, but I didn’t have a whole lot of time to do them,” he said. “Now I can do things like taking trips wherever and speaking to a junior high class and still be home two or three days a week. I can manage it on my terms. It’s fun and it’s exciting and it’s rewarding.”
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