Tony Dungy's 18yr. old son Found Dead

noel · Post by **noel** » December 22, 2005, 2:32 pm

I'm a huge Dungy guy, and my prayers go out to him. Nothing worse than outliving your children.

TAMPA, Fla. -- James Dungy, the 18-year-old son of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, was found dead in a Tampa-area apartment, police said Thursday.

No foul play is suspected, but a cause of death won't be announced pending an autopsy, said Vida Morgan, a secretary in the Hillsborough County sheriff's office.

James Dungy's girlfriend found him when she returned to the Campus Lodge Apartments in Lutz, Fla., the sheriff's office said in a news release on its Web site. Police responded at 1:32 a.m. Thursday and performed CPR on Dungy before he was taken to University Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Tony Dungy has left the Colts and is in Tampa. The Colts (13-1) are at Seattle on Saturday, and team president Bill Polian said that assistant head coach Jim Caldwell has taken over for Dungy.

Indianapolis lost its first game Sunday against the visiting San Diego Chargers, ending what had been a perfect season.

"The thoughts and prayers of everyone in this building are with Tony and [wife] Lauren, their children and their extended family, and for the repose of James' soul," Polian said at a news conference at the Colts' training facility in Indianapolis. "This is a tragedy for the Dungy family and by extension his football family here with the Colts."

Owner Jim Irsay and Polian met with team officials and players to break the news.

"It was not easy, and it was somber, to say the least," Polian said.

Caldwell will take over "for however long Tony will be away and however long he will be away is entirely up to him," Polian added.

"Tony made it clear to me and Jim [Irsay] he wished for the team and organization to carry on. We will. We have the greatest role model there is in Tony. Jim said to the team 'We'll emulate our leader.' "

The coach and his wife, Lauren, have four other children: daughters Tiara and Jade, and sons Eric and Jordan. James was taking extension classes at the University of South Florida, Morgan said.

James Dungy spent his senior year at North Central High School in Indianapolis and graduated this year. C.E. Quandt, the school's principal, said Dungy was a personable student who never flaunted his father's position.

"He just came in and tried to blend in and be a student," Quandt said. "I liked James a lot."

Quandt said Dungy visited North Central a week or two ago to pick up a transcript. He said the death surprised and saddened everyone at the school.

"It kind of diminishes our school family," he said.

James stood 6-foot-7 and was sometimes mistaken for one of his father's players, The Indianapolis Star reported on its Web site. James and his younger brother Eric sometimes watched Colts games from the sideline, but they had to earn it by doing well in school.

New York Jets coach Herman Edwards, one of Dungy's closest friends, called James a "very, very good kid.

"The whole family is good people. You know Tony, how he raised a family," Edwards said from Jets training camp in Hempstead, N.Y. "A tragedy. I know the prayers of the National Football League go out to him and his family."

Fans posted prayers and messages of support for Dungy, who also coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on a message board on a Colts fan Web site.

"Not only was he a great football coach for the Bucs, but he is an even better person," one Tampa Bay fan wrote. "It makes me sick that it happened at this time of year to a person that is so giving and caring."

Dungy was an assistant coach with the Minnesota Vikings from 1992 to 1995, before he became Tampa Bay's head coach.

He began coaching in 1980, as defensive backs coach at the University of Minnesota, his alma mater. He was quarterback for the Gophers from 1973-1976.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 22, 2005, 2:39 pm

Tony Dungy is one of the more likable coaches in the NFL. It's a shame for both his family and the rest of the great coaching season he was having this year.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » December 22, 2005, 7:21 pm

I wonder what the autopsy's going to show. At least Dungy can take a few weeks off and be back for the playoffs without having to worry about his team losing home field advantage.

noel · Post by **noel** » December 22, 2005, 7:28 pm

Leonaerd wrote:I wonder what the autopsy's going to show. At least Dungy can take a few weeks off and be back for the playoffs without having to worry about his team losing home field advantage.

I'm just guessing, but after losing his son I'd say home field advantage in the playoffs hasn't really crossed his mind. I'm sure that if/when he makes it back to the sidelines this season, he'll probably have a hard time focusing on football because he'll be thinking of his son.

When your child dies, everything else in life kind of loses its importance.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » December 22, 2005, 9:01 pm

That was my point... It won't -need- to cross his mind because it isn't an issue. I'm not questioning his state of mourning. Convenience in the face of tragedy, I guess.

noel · Post by **noel** » December 22, 2005, 11:45 pm

The report I quoted has been updated to indicate that the police believe it was a suicide.

Post by **Sylvus** » December 23, 2005, 8:28 am

I'm a bit torn on liking the Colts because I've always found Manning to seem like a douchebag, (it's his fucking mongoloid southern accent) even though he's probably the best QB in the league right now, if not vying for best ever.

At any rate, Tony Dungy has always seemed like a class act, I really feel bad about him losing his son. I'm not positive, but I think I heard people on Sportscenter speculating that it might cause him to not come back to coaching, and while the tragedy is something that is way bigger than football, I hope he sticks around.