An Open Letter to Mr. Tony Dungy: Florida State Needs You

An open invitation to Mr. Tony Dungy:

Dear Mr. Dungy,

It has been my profound experience as a Tampa native for the last 14 years (minus four years in Tallahassee for college), and as a young man who also happened to grow up in the land of 10,000 lakes, to have spent most of my life watching your ingenious defensive aptitude puzzle the best offenses on the biggest of stages.

You amazed us in Minnesota when you turned the likes of Jack Del Rio and John Randle into the Pro-Bowl caliber players they became. It is not lost on me that you were one of the largest reasons for Dennis Green's repeated trips to the playoffs, year-after-year throughout the '90s.

When you took over for the struggling Tampa Bay franchise and revolutionized the Tampa-Two Defense alongside Monte Kiffin, you made a believer out of so many who doubted the Bucs would ever be anything.

A lot of us in Tampa still whisper "...yeah but Gruden did it with Dungy's team..." I do realize that this doesn't matter to you. You are above all of that, and I hold you in even higher regard for that.

Not to overflow with compliments here, but you dazzled us in your time in Indianapolis, putting together another talented young, yet potent defense to compliment the high-octane offensive output of Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, and Marvin Harrison.

You made Indianapolis a winner, when coaches before you laughed at the idea of even making the "PLAYOFFS?!?!" Mr. Mora may have been laughing, but you certainly were not.

Here you are today, "Super Bowl Winning Head Coach—Tony Dungy."

But knowing you Mr. Dungy, you'd likely say, "...So?"

It's just not your mantra. You don't care about winning championships. But you do care about turning often-troubled men with a thirst for knowledge, integrity, and character; into champions.

Well Mr. Dungy, please, look no further.

I realize that Florida State is currently embattled in it's own tug-of-war between some very good men, all vying for the crown of Head Coach, this sincerely is not some crackpot notion, or quick fix idea. This is a legitimate call to action from a devoted alumnus who feels that the only fair path for Florida State is to reconcile it's off-the-field blemishes with the law, the classroom, and the NCAA by-in-large.

Scandals, free shoes, free clothes, cheating, theft, assault, vandalism, forgery, bribery, and cover-ups. These are all issues Florida State has faced in the last 15 years. If there is one man who could bring accountability back to a brand name as recognizable as the Seminoles—it is you Mr. Dungy.

Mr. Dungy, you have been a man among men, a leader, and a Godly man. This is something Bobby Bowden has been for his players for the last 25+ seasons at FSU.

Whether he won trophies or not, even his former players will tell you Bobby had two jobs—Coach, and mentor. It has become increasingly evident that as Bobby gets older, his ability to do both jobs is slipping, and God bless him for trying, he needs some support.

"Anyone" won't do. He needs someone like you. We need someone like you.

Please don't misunderstand. Jimbo Fisher is a fine coach, and has done a great job offensively in his brief time at FSU. This is not my concern. While it has been made public that he is the heir to the Head Coaching position at FSU, I think there is still plenty of room for change, and dynamism in more ways than what can be taught on the field—and anything is possible within the coming weeks or months in Tallahassee, given the instability at the top in Tallahassee as of late.

Sir, I do realize you have also been called to action in your life for other reasons, and you have made it clear your goal is to shape hearts and minds into men of God. Your most recent call to action seems to suggest you may be interested in mentoring and advising current Tampa Head Coach Raheem Morris, a man maligned, who much like you once did, is patiently trying to build a team from nothing.

Well Mr. Dungy, I wish you well in your current call to duty. However, if prior experiences are any indication of the timing, my guess is you will have completed your mission right around the time FSU is ready to announce a changing of the guard. So, again, please consider Florida State as your possible contender for "next project."

Mr. Dungy, I think I speak for anyone who knows your life's story when I say that the untimely loss of your son was both tragic, and difficult to accept. Your fans, and admirers know how wonderful you are, and how much your love for your family is a driving force in everything you do. I was deeply saddened by the pain this undoubtedly caused you and those closest to you.

A young man in the very youth of his life was taken from this place, and many of us genuinely have a sense of feeling that you are like family to us, and we all admire the strength and dedication you had in honoring him by continuing to mentor and mold young and often troubled minds, week-in and week-out.

Florida State has more than it's share of young men with "troubled" mind, who could benefit from the added direction you could provide, and with your exemplary track record at nearly every level of the NFL, I have no doubt you could reach an even wider audience by converting your coaching acumen to the college game. 

The high school athlete of today may be too far out of touch from Bobby Bowden's generation, but perhaps you could find that the "sons" of Tallahassee are all looking for someone to be that paternal role.

It may be a noble hunch or a far-fetched idea, whichever you see it as, please recognize that Tallahassee would benefit immensely from your wealth of knowledge, and for a ship that has been on choppy water for so long, this may be the labor of love you have been searching for.

If called, and if you were willing to make the move a few hours north of your current home, the young Seminole players' hearts and minds are in need of a leader, a man of God, someone who can make men out of them.

Someone—just like you.

The talent is there, and I think that Bobby would be the first to tell you, there is nothing like having 100+ "sons" that you can shape and mold and mentor. These young men are in need of a father-figure, someone who knows the game, and someone who wants to see them succeed at more than just football.

If you have it in your heart to look this direction, please, consider this open letter as one fan's voice seeing a very unique opportunity, and perhaps one that could lead to rewards far greater than a piece of hardware in a trophy room.

Thank you for your time.

With warmest regards,

Jeff Kessock

Bleacher Report Columnist, Florida State Alumnus