Tony Dungy Faces Tough Battle To Make Hall of Fame In 2016

With the 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee meeting on February 6, the speculation about who is getting into the exclusive club is starting to rise. Three of the 15 finalists are Indianapolis Colts. Former Colts head coach Tony Dungy, receiver Marvin Harrison and running back Edgerrin James are looking to be enshrined in 2016. It is hard to dissect each individual’s career because the Hall of Fame has very tight restrictions. Dungy certainly has an intriguing case to be a Hall of Famer, but he still has an uphill battle.

In his 13-year head coaching career, Dungy only coached the Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During that time, Dungy accumulated 139 regular season wins. Only the New England Patriots franchise accumulated more wins than Dungy over that time at 140. Also, his .668 career winning percentage is ninth all-time among coaches who have at least 50 wins. Seven of the eight coaches who have a better winning percentage than Dungy are in the Hall of Fame.

While Dungy had a successful career with the Buccaneers, people remember him most for his time in Indianapolis. He coached the Colts from 2002-08, and his 85 wins during that stay trailed only Patriots head coach Bill Belichick (86). The Colts made the playoffs every season with Dungy as head coach, and most importantly, he has a Super Bowl ring. He is the first African-American head coach to ever win the Super Bowl.

While Dungy definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame in 2016, there is a strong possibility he could miss out on Canton. Only the best of the best can be enshrined, and as a result, a maximum of five Modern-Era finalists can be added to the Hall of Fame per year. Dungy is battling against 14 other candidates who each have impressive statistics. This year, worthy candidates like Brett Favre and Terrell Owens reduce Dungy’s chances at making it into the NFL’s exclusive club.

Dungy had very successful NFL head coaching career and meets all the requirements needed to make the Hall of Fame. This is the second year in a row he has been named a finalist, and unfortunately, he could once again be on the outside looking in.