Lutz, 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.
Chaplains were brought in to talk with the team.
“I don’t think there’s anyone here that would wish to play a football
game under these circumstances, but it’s our obligation and we’ll
fulfill that obligation because that’s what Tony wants us to do,” Polian
said.
The Dungys have four other children: daughters Tiara and Jade and sons
Eric and Jordan. James, their second-oldest child, 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.
A woman who answered the door at James Dungy’s girlfriend’s home
declined comment Thursday.
James stood 6-foot-7 and was sometimes was 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
sidelines, 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.” Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said the team’s
thoughts and prayers were going out to Dungy.
“You hate to see anything like this happen,” Reid said.
“Nobody likes to see that. Tony’s a great person with a great 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 took over as coach of the Colts in 2002. His first head coaching
stint was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2001; he was an
assistant with the Minnesota Vikings from 1992 to 1995.
Two other NFL head coaches lost close family members this season, both
in November. Don Parcells, brother of Dallas Cowboys coach Bill
Parcells, died of brain cancer in New Jersey at age 62; Steve Belichick,
father of New England Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick, died at 86.
