When Tony Dungy was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first modern day African American head coach in the Hall, he thanked those who came before him.
So many owe a debt of gratitude to Dungy for getting their start in the NFL, including former Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Lovie Smith.
Smith is one of three who got their NFL start with Dungy in Tampa Bay and then went on to become head coaches. Smith first led the Chicago Bears before returning to Tampa Bay as the head coach in 2014. After two seasons, Smith was fired and later hired as the Illinois head coach.
He took some time off from his college gig to support Dungy in Canton as he was enshrined into the Hall of Fame. Smith spoke about the road coach Dungy paved for many in the NFL and also his feelings about the Bucs.
On Dungy’s impact: “There was a time when you couldn’t see people that looked like you on the sidelines. But Tony and others before him have kind of changed that quite a bit. There’s a lot of things going on in our country, but if you look to sports, there’s not as much going on in it. Color doesn’t mean an awful lot when you’re dealing with sports.”
On the Bucs: “Tampa was great while we were there. Lifetime friends I have there.”