Tony Dungy has occupied a prominent place in the NFL world for over two decades, and he's adding to his list of responsibilities.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame added Dungy as an at-large selector on its selection committee, the Hall announced Thursday, following approval from the Hall's board of trustees to fill an at-large vacancy.
"Coach Dungy is a tremendous addition to the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee," Saleem Choudhry, the Hall's VP of museum and exhibit services, said in a statement. "As a Hall of Fame coach who has been involved in the NFL since 1977, he has a depth of knowledge and experience with players, coaches and personnel from numerous organizations across multiple decades. His extensive understanding will be invaluable to the selection process."
Dungy's career in the NFL extends back to 1977, when he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted defensive back. Dungy played three years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 1978 before turning to coaching, beginning at his alma mater of Minnesota before returning to Pittsburgh to coach under the legendary Chuck Noll.
Dungy launched his head-coaching career in 1996 in Tampa Bay, taking over the woebegone Buccaneers and helping them turn around the franchise with a foundation of future Hall of Famers. Dungy's first Super Bowl would come in Indianapolis, though, where his Colts won at least 10 games in every season from 2002-2008, finally getting over the hump in the 2006 season with their Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears.
Dungy retired in 2008 with a head-coaching record of 148-79 and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
He has since served as an NFL analyst for NBC Sports, remaining an influential voice in the NFL that no longer occupies a sideline, but is very much in tune with what is happening in the league.
Dungy becomes one of 16 at-large selectors who work in tandem with the 32 NFL city-based selectors to decide on each year's enshrinement class, joining former Pro Football Hall of Fame contributor Bill Polian and longtime sports journalist Lisa Salters as new at-large additions to the committee.
