Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy had a difficult decision to make after his collegiate career came to an end.
Either continue playing quarterback in the Canadian Football League or change positions in the National Football League.
Dungy played four seasons at the University of Minnesota as a quarterback for the Golden Gophers. He finished his career with a 46.8 completion rate, passing for 3,515 yards with 25 touchdowns against 35 interceptions.
“You have the choice to change positions or go to Canada,” Dungy told The Blade reporter David Briggs.
“The Montreal Alouettes had my rights, and I thought about going there, but I wanted to play in the NFL, I wanted to play with the best.”
After going unselected in the 1977 NFL Draft, Dungy carved out a three-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers. He was part of the Steelers’ Super Bowl XIII championship team. Dungy played 45 NFL games, starting nine, and grabbed nine interceptions.
In 1980, Dungy started his coaching career at his alma mater. Dungy served as defensive coordinator for the Steelers and Minnesota Vikings, while also serving as head coach with Tampa Bay and Indianapolis. He helped guide the Colts to the Super Bowl XLI title with Peyton Manning as his quarterback.
Since 2009, Dungy has been an NFL analyst for NBC Sports. Recently, Dungy threw some subtle shade the CFL’s way during Football Night in America.
