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NFL.com: Tony Dungy is Colts Top Future Hall of Fame Candidate

By Luke Schultheis

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According to NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison, with the Class of 2015 being enshrined into the Hall of Fame this Saturday, it’s a great opportunity to look at each team’s top future candidate. The Indianapolis Colts top future Hall of Candidate, as it currently stands, is none other than former head coach Tony Dungy:

"Indianapolis Colts: Tony Dungy, coachI deliberated between wide receiver extraordinaire Marvin Harrison and Dungy … but ultimately chose the oft-successful, socially relevant head coach. Voters aren’t supposed to consider off-the-field issues, but when the pendulum swings so wildly from one end of the spectrum to the other, like it does here, the big elephant in the room becomes more difficult to ignore. Besides, after researching Buccaneers history recently, the culture change Dungy evoked there speaks for itself. And Peyton Manning still hasn’t won aSuper Bowl without him."

As one of the most universally well-respected men around professional football, Dungy coached the Colts from 2002-08. His biggest accomplishment came in 2006, when he coached the Colts to an elusive 2006 Super Bowl Championship. 

Most notably, Dungy’s impact on the Colts was felt by building a respectable “Cover 2” defense after he inherited what was a truly abysmal defense. In fact, Dungy’s defense was a big reason as to why the Colts were able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2006, as they were a speed blue wrecking crew come playoff time that particular season.

Aug 2, 2014; Canton, OH, USA; Former NFL coach Tony Dungy during the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Overall, as Colts head coach, Dungy was 85-27 (.759), which is a very impressive mark to say the least. It’s worth noting that Dungy’s Colts teams never missed the playoffs in his 7 seasons. Due to his impact, the Colts inducted him into the franchise’s Ring of Honor in 2010.

If it were me however, I’d personally still give Marvin Harrison the nod over the highly regarded Dungy. Harrison played 13 seasons in the NFL, all in horseshoe blue. He finished his Colts career with 1,102 receptions for 14,580 receiving yards and 128 touchdowns, which ranks 3rd, 7th, and 5th in NFL all-time receiving respectively. It’s no surprise that he’s also the Colts franchise’s all-time leading receiver in all 3 receiving categories.

All-in-all, Harrison was an 8x Pro Bowler, 3x First-Team All-Pro, and a member of the NFL 2000’s all-decade team. He was inducted into the Colts Ring of Honor in 2011.

Nothing against Dungy, who’s great in his own right, but Harrison was only a Colt, whereas Dungy is just as equally important in Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise history. Dungy coached the Bucs for 6 seasons from 1996-2001 with a 54-42 record (.563), making 4 playoff appearances during that span.

Simply put, Dungy placed what was previously a woeful NFL franchise on the map by making them relevant. Specifically, as a founding father of the defensive scheme, Dungy built what was the gold standard for Cover 2 defenses with stars such as Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, and Warren Sapp.

Regardless, both players should be future Hall of Famers relatively soon and have strong affiliations with the Indianapolis Colts franchise, especially in Harrison’s case.

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