Jon Gruden Fired

Yesterday Gruden was fired as the head coach of the Bucs. It somehow seems perfectly fitting to have a post on his firing following a post on Dungy's retirement. Like many others at the time, I never quite understood the logic behind firing Dungy. I understood it even less when the same people that fired Dungy offered Gruden a four year contract extension in 2007. Sure, I understand that Gruden took the team to the Super Bowl his first year there, and I won't even get into that old debate about whether or not he did so with Dungy's team.

Let's just look at the record:

The year before Dungy arrived the team was 7-9. The year before Gruden arrived the Bucs were 9-7. Under Dungy, the Bucs went to the playoffs four out of the six years he coached them. Under Gruden, the Bucs went to the playoffs three out of the seven years he coached them.

I was more surprised by Gruden’s contract extension in 2007 than by his firing. The most fascinating piece written about Gruden since his firing comes from the National Football Post's Notes from Lombardi.

Tony Dungy Retires

Today Tony Dungy announced his retirement from the Colts -- during the press conference he didn't completely rule out returning to football ever again which caused the entire Tampa Bay population (minus the Glazers) to rejoice and take hope that some day down the line he'll return to save the team. (If anyone can do that, Tony can.)

I understand that for those who have never met Dungy or followed him very closely, Tony's near sainthood status might seem a bit much at times. It's not as if Tony sees himself that way. He leads by example. He tries to appreciate the people he comes across on a daily basis. He mentors. He supports others. He looks for ways to be of service to the community. He reminds us of the great good we can accomplish when we put other's needs before our own.

Personally, the news is bittersweet. I am sorry to see him go but am happy for him and wish him the best. He's given a lot to Indiana and it's time he focused on things of importance to him, including spending more time with his family. I came to Indiana from the Tampa Bay area prior to Dungy's arrival in Tampa but I continued to follow the Bucs as I had friends and family still in the area. When Dungy was fired I was very sad (and I thought it was a horrible decision), but that sadness soon turned to joy when I learned he was coming here to Indianapolis. I once met Tony on a flight back to St. Petersburg/Clearwater. Before boarding the plane in Indy, he patiently took the time to pose for photos and sign autographs. He was the last one on the plane. When we arrived, I ran ahead to find my father who was a huge Bucs/Dungy fan. I quickly told him that Tony was on my flight. I'll never forget how my father's eyes lit up at the news. When my father walked up to Tony, although Dungy likely wanted to just get out of the airport, he took the time to talk with my father. It was shortly after that when my father was diagnosed with cancer. He is now cancer free but while he was going through very difficult treatments, there were many phone conversations between Indy and Tampa where my father and I talked about how lucky the Colts were to have Dungy as coach. His presence here gave this city something to be proud of and he turned this basketball town into a place where Colts fans (and jerseys) could be found everywhere.

Tony will be greatly missed. Tampa Bay is incredibly lucky that he's returning home. I wish him all the happiness he deserves.