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Dungy seeking a Bucs-like fit

Coach might find ideal match with Colts and may interview next week.

By DARRELL FRY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 16, 2002

TAMPA -- A day after he was fired by the Bucs, Tony Dungy said he wants his next coaching job to be similar to the one he had in Tampa Bay.

"I know how important the front office is and I would look for a relationship like I had with (general manager) Rich (McKay) where you feel like you could work on the same page, you kind of understand each other and know what each other wants," Dungy said. "And that's probably the most important thing."

Tuesday morning, Dungy said he had no scheduled interviews with other NFL teams but acknowledged he had been contacted by a few and expected more now that his firing is official.

"I've had some phone calls. I think I'll get some (more)," he said. "But right at this time, there's nothing exactly set."

Later Tuesday, agent Ray Anderson said Dungy might interview next week with the Colts. Anderson would not say if the Colts had contacted him but told the Associated Press there were "informal indications" that could lead to an interview. Though Dungy, 46, indicated he would like to coach an NFL team next season, he didn't rule out staying in Tampa and putting his energies into something else.

"I don't know that my life in this community is over. I don't know what's going to happen from here. I think that's in the Lord's hands," he said. "It may be somewhere else. It may be another coaching opportunity. It may not. It may be something here in Tampa. We've enjoyed it here. Some of the things we've been able to do with our church and with Family First and with some other organizations in town have been wonderful."

As for NFL jobs, Carolina, Indianapolis and San Diego, which all have vacancies, are rumored to have interest in Dungy.

Dungy fits with the mostly defense-minded candidates the Colts reportedly are considering to help beef up a defense that ranked 29th in the league.

Dungy has known Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore since college. Moore held the same position at the University of Minnesota when Dungy played quarterback there in the mid 1970s. They later were assistants with the Vikings.

The Colts reportedly are considering defensive coordinators Ted Cottrell (Jets), Greg Blache (Bears), Jim Johnson (Eagles), Marvin Lewis (Ravens) and John Fox (Giants), as well as Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and possibly ex-Redskins coach Marty Schottenheimer and LSU coach Nick Saban.

The Panthers interviewed Fox on Monday and may have interest in Schottenheimer, Lewis and Saban.

Dungy could be enticing to San Diego, where management has made it known it wants someone with head-coaching experience, although Dungy's even-tempered style might be too similar to outgoing coach Mike Riley's.

The Chargers reportedly are looking at former Colts coach Jim Mora, Schottenheimer, Cottrell and their offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, who coached the Redskins for nearly seven seasons in the '90s. They've contacted Mora and plan to do so with Cottrell.

"I wouldn't expect it to take very long," McKay said when asked how long it would take Dungy to get another coaching job. "I think Tony, at the end of the day, will have a choice."

Dungy said he would be interested if any team called, but he reiterated that not coaching next season was a possibility.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," he said. "I'll look at all the options and see what happens. If I have a chance to do something else, I'll investigate it. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

- Information from Times wires was used in this report.

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