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TONY DUNGY'S EMOTIONAL FAREWELL: NFL coach announces retirement; looks forward to more time with family.
*With tears in his eyes and a catch in his throat, Tony Dungy announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday, leaving his Indianapolis Colts to chase another Super Bowl title under his successor, Jim Caldwell.
"Don't shed any tears for me," Dungy said at the press conference. "I've gotten to live a dream that most people don't get to live. What phase two will be, we'll find out. But phase one has been awfully special."
The 31-year NFL veteran informed the assistant coaches of his decision in the morning, met with some players throughout the day and concluded by trading hugs and tears with team owner Jim Irsay and team president Bill Polian.
Dungy said he is looking forward to spending his days away from football with his family and on volunteer work.
"I want to do something more with my family and something that would connect more with my goals," he said. "Where my heart is, is really with our young men right now. We have so many guys that didn't grow up like me, didn't have their dad there and that's something I'm very, very interested in."
Dungy became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl, the first to make 10 straight playoff appearances, the first to win 12 games in six straight seasons. His regular-season winning percentage of .668 is fifth all-time among coaches with at least 100 wins and his 10.7 regular-season wins per year is the best among that group, too.
Dungy was the Tampa Bay head coach for six seasons, exiting as that franchise's career leader in victories (54). Now seven years later, he leaves Indianapolis as its franchise leader (85). In 13 seasons, Dungy went 148-79, won six division titles and appeared in three conference championship games — one in the NFC and two in the AFC.
He entered the league as an assistant in 1981 when there were few black coaches in the NFL. In 1996, Dungy finally got his first head coaching job in Tampa and used the opportunity to help open doors for young coaches and minority candidates.
Graduates from his Buccaneers staff include Kansas City coach Herm Edwards, Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, Chicago's Lovie Smith and former Detroit coach Rod Marinelli. And now Caldwell.
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