Bucs' Lynch, Dungy named Hall of Fame finalists

During his first team meeting with the Bucs, Tony Dungy talked about the goal to win a championship but said if they didn't also give back to the community, they wouldn't have done enough.

Safety John Lynch says he took that message to heart. He won Super Bowl XXXVI while Dungy was coach of the Indianapolis Colts. But now they have a chance to do something again together - enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Lynch and Dungy were among the 15 finalists for the Class of 2015 announced Thursday. Both were finalists a year ago.

Dungy, 59, had great success with Tampa Bay and the Colts, but his contribution to the NFL might be as impressive as his won-loss record. He had one losing season in 13 years as head coach and won six division titles, one conference championship and a Super Bowl with the Colts in the 2006 season.

Dungy is the only African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl. His success and keen eye for coaching talent spawned a tree of other minority head coaches that include Herm Edwards, Lovie Smith, Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell and Leslie Frazier.

"I am thrilled for my good friends Tony and John making it one step closer to induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Bucs coach Lovie Smith said. "Both are very deserving of consideration not only for what they contributed on the field, but for the way they have lived their lives off it as well."