Tony Dungy's coaching success earned him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His ability to identify, hire and mentor assistant coaches adds another dimension to a legacy the NFL will celebrate when the Hall enshrines Dungy and seven others Saturday.
Six Dungy assistants have become head coaches. Five of the six were minorities. Along with Dungy, they have accounted for 43 percent of minority head-coaching hires over the past 20 years, including 39 percent since the Rooney Rule took effect in 2003.
A quick look at 10 key limbs from Dungy's coaching tree provides perspective.
Six head coaches
Herm Edwards
Edwards was an assistant in Kansas City (1992-95) before joining Dungy's inaugural 1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff as assistant head coach/defensive backs. Edwards was serving in that role when the New York Jets hired him as head coach in 2001. The Chiefs hired Edwards as head coach in 2006.
Rod Marinelli
Marinelli made his NFL debut as Dungy's defensive line coach in 1996. He served as the Detroit Lions' head coach from 2006 to '08 and remains a highly regarded line coach.
Lovie Smith
Smith entered the NFL as Dungy's linebackers coach in 1996. He reached one Super Bowl as the St. Louis Rams' defensive coordinator and another as the Chicago Bears' head coach. The Bears ranked ninth in winning percentage and fourth in points allowed under Smith, who would also become a head coach at Tampa Bay and the University of Illinois.
Jim Caldwell
Caldwell got his NFL start as the Buccaneers' quarterbacks coach under Dungy in 2001, notable given the dearth of minorities coaching the position (there are currently no minority quarterbacks coaches in the NFL). Caldwell succeeded Dungy as the Indianapolis Colts' head coach in 2009, posting a 26-22 record. Caldwell is 18-14 as the Lions' head coach.
Mike Tomlin
Tomlin entered the NFL as Dungy's defensive backs coach in 2001. He spent five seasons in that role, including four after the Buccaneers fired Dungy. Tomlin became the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach in 2007. The Steelers' 92-52 record under Tomlin ranks tied for third in the NFL over that span, matching the record for the Colts, who were coached by Dungy and Caldwell for five of the nine seasons in question.
Leslie Frazier
Dungy hired Frazier as a defensive assistant in 2005 and then made him assistant to the head coach/defensive backs the following season. Frazier collected a Super Bowl ring with the Colts in 2006 before joining the Minnesota Vikings as defensive coordinator. The Vikings named him interim head coach (2010) and full-time head coach (2011-13).
Four coordinators
Mike Shula
The Carolina Panthers' current offensive coordinator became a coordinator for the first time when Dungy hired him to his initial Buccaneers staff in 1996.
Clyde Christensen
Christensen would become an offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay (2001), Indianapolis (2009-11) and the Miami Dolphins (2016) after making his NFL debut as tight ends coach on Dungy's initial Buccaneers staff.
Joe Barry
The Washington Redskins' current defensive coordinator became an NFL position coach for the first time in 2001, when Dungy hired him to replace Smith.
Frank Reich
The Philadelphia Eagles' current offensive coordinator entered the NFL coaching ranks on Dungy's final Colts staff (2008).