Bell: Tony Dungy's path to Hall of Fame reflects model of opportunity
LATROBE, Pa. — Mike Tomlin has a mental snapshot from his first day on the job as an NFL assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001, when his new boss, Tony Dungy, summoned him to his office.
As Tomlin entered the room, he was struck by the video game projected on the big screen, with Dungy’s son, Eric, sitting on the floor working the controls.
“In an instant, it showed me how he balances who he is and what he does,” the Pittsburgh Steelers coach reflected for USA TODAY Sports. “It left an imprint on me. I think about it often when I’m stepping over my (two) boys when they are in this environment.”
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Dungy, on the verge of being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next weekend, is proud of his legacy as a success story who operated against some of the conventional norms of the coaching industry. His faith-family-football credo was genuine.
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Yet the fact that he hired Tomlin – and on the same day, current Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell – to his Bucs staff epitomized another type of statement that resonates deeply now. Dungy is set to become the first modern-era African-American coach enshrined while renewed attention is focused on the NFL’s pitiful record for affording opportunities for minority coaches.
Dungy hired Tomlin and Caldwell from the college ranks, and look at them now – they are two of the league’s six minority coaches.
“It was intentional to look for guys to come into the league,” Dungy told USA TODAY Sports last week, taking a break from a family RV vacation. “Climbing that ladder, I had a desire to help people.”
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A report by ESPN.com recently that examined hiring trends showed disturbing patterns for minorities seeking opportunities and a league that has instituted numerous initiatives, including the Rooney Rule requiring that at least one minority is interviewed for head coaching vacancies.
Of 22 first-time coaches hired over the past five years, just one such opportunity has been afforded a minority -- the New York Jets hiring of Todd Bowles in 2015.
Naturally, Dungy, 60, who had his struggles breaking through until hired as Bucs coach in 1996, is appalled by the numbers that show a regression that reflects the era before the Rooney Rule was established in 2002.
“The guys in my era, when it was tougher, are probably even more sensitive to it,” Dungy said.
What’s happened? Talk to coaches and other officials in and associated with the league and you’ll hear some of same theories expressed a generation ago, including scant representation in the pipeline in the coordinator positions from which most head coaches are drawn.
John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, who believes the Rooney Rule, expanded in 2009 to include general managers, should be expanded to apply to openings for coordinator jobs. I’d take it a few steps further and apply the rule for all coaching and front office positions.
Dungy isn’t sure if expanding the rule is a viable solution, particularly in an environment where not all teams seemingly operate with the “spirit” of the rule. Too often, some interviews are perceived as sham engagements to comply with the rule named for Steelers chairman Dan Rooney – whose franchise, incidentally, gave Dungy his first assistant coaching job in 1981.
“I don’t know that you can legislate it,” Dungy said. “But there are good candidates on all levels. It takes some work to uncover them and some courage. If people do that, the numbers will take care of themselves.
“It’s not just an African-American thing,” Dungy added. “(Arizona Cardinals coach) Bruce Arians shows that. He didn’t fit the mold for 15, 18 years, then he finally got a chance on a big stage. He’s probably not different now than he was in 2007.”
Dungy, who with the Indianapolis Colts became the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl, is clearly a model for opportunity. When he talks of intentionally hiring Tomlin, Caldwell and Lovie Smith (all of whom guided teams to Super Bowls, with Tomlin winning one) from the college ranks, he is underscoring the commitment to diversify his staffs to fuel the pipeline.
That’s one of the responsibilities, expressed or otherwise, for minority coaches.
No doubt, he had a role model in Dennis Green, whose recent passing hit home with Dungy.
Not only did Dungy serve under Green as the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, he received what he calls “on-the-job mentoring” that prepared him for bigger jobs that paved his path to Canton.
Green included Dungy in meetings that exposed him to head coaching responsibilities. He explained his reasoning to Dungy for key personnel moves that didn’t involve the defense, such as a quarterback switch. He talked through his thinking of how he’d communicate issues to the team and the public.
When Dungy finally landed his first interview for a head coaching job, with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1995, Green helped him by giving him a four-page interview preparation booklet. Dungy didn’t get that job, but the next year he was hired by the Bucs – sparking that franchise’s turnaround.
“I wouldn’t have gotten where I was without him,” Dungy said.
Which is just what can happen when given a legitimate chance.
Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.