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A father's grief: James Dungy 1987-2005

James Dungy called 911 for help in Oct.

The teenager had told dispatchers that he took about 15 pills.

By STEPHANIE HAYES
Published December 31, 2005

TAMPA - His stomach and throat were burning, but James Dungy's deep voice held steady.

Dungy, the 18-year-old son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, called 911 in October after taking too many pills, two months before his apparent suicide.

"I was being stupid and I took about 15 pills," he told an emergency dispatcher, "and my mom told me to call you guys so I can get my stomach pumped."

On a 911 recording, Dungy told the dispatcher that he took four hydrocodone pills and "a bunch" of others, possibly naproxen, but that he wasn't sure.

Hydrocodone is an addictive narcotic used for pain relief. Naproxen is the anti-inflammatory ingredient found in Aleve.

Dungy said he could breathe fine. "My stomach's hurting right now, though," he said. "It's burning. My throat's burning. I feel like I'm (going to) pass out."

Dungy called 911 on a cell phone just after 9 p.m. as he walked outside Campus Lodge, a primarily student housing complex near the University of South Florida. While on the phone with the dispatcher, Dungy spotted a police officer.

"Hey!" he yelled twice, getting the officer's attention.

Dungy asked if he should "just sit" with the officer, and the dispatcher said yes, and that help was on the way.

"All right," Dungy said. "Appreciate it."

Paramedics took Dungy to University Community Hospital.

Emergency workers would return to Dungy's home two months later. In the early morning of Dec. 22, Dungy's girlfriend called 911 after finding him unresponsive in the apartment, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Investigators have not released that 911 recording.

Officials have called the death an apparent suicide, though the official cause of death is pending toxicology and tissue test results.

[Last modified December 31, 2005, 00:47:16]