Tony Dungy's History in the National Football League

Even though Tony Dungy only played in the National Football League for three seasons, he still proved to be an efficient and versatile player.

As an undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota, Dungy signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1977 where he played both defensive back and part-time quarterback.

Intercepting nine career passes, Dungy proved to be a quality defender with a knack for getting to the ball and making big-plays.

Passing on the other hand was an avenue that saw Dungy slightly out of his element; three career completions in contrast to two interceptions as a back up to Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

After finishing his pro career Dungy began coaching as an assistant at the University of Minnesota, which in turn led to an invitation from legendary Steelers' coach Chuck Noll (Dungy’s former boss) to join his staff as an assistant in 1981.

Dungy was eventually promoted by the Minnisota Vikings to defensive coordinator in 1984, and after a brief stint with the Kansas City Chiefs would later lead the league’s number one defence as the defensive coordinator with the Vikings.

In 1996, Dungy took over the perennial bottom-feeder Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After six seasons with the Buccaneers Dungy had turned the once fumbling franchise into eventual National Football Conference Champions, implementing the now widely-used "Tampa 2" defence. 

2002 saw Dungy become the Indianapolis Colts’ newest head coach. With the Colts, Dungy had immediate success in the form of a ten win season.

With the help of future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Dungy and the Colts were crowned 2006 Super Bowl champions. In doing so, Dungy became the first African American head coach to reach the pinnacle of success in the National Football League.