Dungy greatly grateful
The final step didn't come without hurdles
INDIANAPOLIS -- Nice guys don't finish last.
It's tough to find a more gracious and affable NFL coach than Indianapolis Colts head man Tony Dungy. The soft-spoken Dungy is known for his grace and calm sideline demeanor and that was reflected in his team's play last night, as the Colts shook off a 21-3 first-half deficit to stage the largest rally in a conference championship game and vanquish the Patriots, 38-34, at the RCA Dome.
"We talked in the locker room at halftime that we just had to keep our poise and continue to play and we'd have a chance in the fourth quarter," said Dungy. "But they've been that way all year. They've fought back and they just give so much effort. They're such a unified group. I just have to thank the Lord. He did it in such a way that nobody would believe it. We got to give the Lord a lot of credit for giving us the strength to do it."
Dungy matched wits with the best coach in the NFL, Bill Belichick, and came out on top. Now, he will take his team to Super Bowl XLI, where he will face former assistant Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears. Smith beat Dungy by a few hours for the honor of being the first African-American coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl.
Dungy said he was very, very proud -- both as an African-American and as a friend of Smith's -- to face him in what will be a historic meeting in South Florida.
"I'm so happy that Lovie got there because he does things the right way," said Dungy. "He's going to get there with a lot of class. No profanity, no intimidation, just helping his guys the best he can and that's the way I try to do it and I think it's great that we're able to show the world not only that African-American coaches can do it, but Christian coaches can do it in a way that we can still win."
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said it was Dungy's placid demeanor that allowed the team to stay calm and not start recalling past playoff debacles at the hands of the Patriots after New England scored twice in a 53-second span in the second quarter -- a Corey Dillon 7-yard run and an Asante Samuel 39-yard interception return -- to put Indianapolis in a 21-3 hole with 9:25 left in the half.
The Colts responded with 18 straight points to tie the game and then won it on a clutch drive by Manning that started with 2:17 to go.
"That's something that I've said since Coach Dungy has been here," said Manning. "He's calm on the opening kickoff and he's calm when you're down, 21-3. Not many guys can say that. He's just a cool customer and I think that spread through the rest of the team."
Dungy may now finally get his due as one of the era's great coaches. Like his quarterback, the knock on the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach was that he couldn't win the big one. Since 1999, Dungy is the winningest coach in the NFL during the regular season with a 90-38 mark. He is 60-20 since taking over in Indy in 2002.
Still, he brushed off suggestions that this was a personal accomplishment.
"I can't say how proud I am of our group," said Dungy, when asked if he found the victory personally validating. "I came here five years ago and this was our goal. This is what [owner] Jim Irsay and I talked about. He wanted to bring a championship to Indianapolis and for me to be a part of it with the group that we have is special. I think the Lord really tested us a lot from last year."
Dungy was talking about his team, but he also could have been talking about his family. Dungy lost his 18-year-old son, James, in December 2005 when he committed suicide in his Tampa-area apartment. While a Super Bowl never can replace the loss of a child, Dungy's players were thrilled that his faith and perseverance in the wake of such a tragedy was rewarded.
"It's awesome. It's a true blessing for him and his family," said tight end Dallas Clark. "For him to go through that just a year ago, it's special to everyone, but it's a little more special to him."
The normally stoic Dungy admitted it was a "great feeling," when rookie runner Joseph Addai scored the winning touchdown on a 3-yard run with a minute left.
Dungy was on the verge of history at that point, but he was still leery of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
"We knew it was going to come to that," said Dungy. "We said we can't play against the mystique. We can't play against the past. If he gets the ball, we have to put pressure on him and make him move his feet."
They did, and Colts cornerback Marlin Jackson intercepted Brady and proved that you can be a good guy and a Super Bowl-bound coach.
"Nice guys don't finish last," said Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney. "Coach Dungy does a great job of instilling confidence in us and we went out there and did a great job."
Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com. 