At Home With Tony Dungy

Ebony, Nov, 2000 by Kevin Chappell

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach enjoys success on the football field and life in breathtaking waterfront estate

FOR an avid fisherman, there's no better place to be than Tampa. And, increasingly, there's no better place for a football fan to be either.

So the happiest guy in town has got to be Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy, who last year not only took his team to within one win of going to the Super Bowl, but also moved into a magnificent waterfront home with his wife Lauren and their three children: Tiara, 15, James, 13, and Eric, 8.

For Dungy, both the successful season and the new home are affirmations of the class and dignity he has represented in his career and life.

After 15 years as an NFL assistant coach--first with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and later with the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings--Dungy finally got his chance to be a head coach in 1996 when he signed a six-year contract to lead the Buccaneers. Following a tough first year, Dungy's 1997 team matched a franchise record with a 10-6 season and a wild-card playoff win over the Detroit Lions. Last season, his team made it to the NFC championship game before losing to St. Louis, the eventual Super Bowl champion.

Now the city is psyched about the possibility of Dungy taking the team all the way this season. "Tampa has been very good," he says, peering out of his window at his heavily wooded property. "I didn't know how it was going to be coming down here, but the response has been great. The whole area has been fantastic as far as receiving us."

Although Dungy loves Tampa, and even says he will likely make the city his home after he retires, deciding on a place to live within the city was tough. "I love to fish, so I wanted to live on the water," Dungy says. "So I liked this location because it was on the water. My wife liked it because of the security and the space."

The Dungys built a 7,000-square foot home on an acre of prime Florida property. The home took 18 months to build. Throughout the building process, the Dungys grappled with every detail, even pulling up much of the marble floor inside the home because it was not what they envisioned.

"We made quite a few changes," Lauren Dungy says. "We had so many people coming and going. I think they must have painted the outside of the house about six times. Every time the sun set, it was a different color than we thought it would be. We just wanted to get it right. There was no reason to settle for something that we would be unhappy with later."

The finished product is breathtaking. A winding driveway leads to the contemporary/Mediterranean stucco home. Inside, the home's foyer has towering 22-foot ceilings. To the right is Tony Dungy's office, which is lined with football memorabilia.

The estate has six bedrooms, three downstairs and three on the upper level. The 1000-square foot swimming pool, which is glass-enclosed and can be opened to become another room, is the centerpiece of the house.

Throughout the house, various Bible scriptures line the wall. This was Lauren Dungy's idea. She says it represents who they are as a family and what they hope to convey to anyone who enters their home. "Our faith is a part of us," she says. "So it is important for us to have reminders around the house."

Although Lauren Dungy says she rarely cooks (except for the mean pasta dish she makes on special occasions), the kitchen is the gathering place in the house. With contemporary appliances and oversized cabinets, the kitchen opens into the family room, and features a center breakfast bar where the family usually can be found throughout the day grabbing a quick bite to eat.

The Dungys say the home represents the casual lifestyle of Florida they like. "It really agrees with us," Lauren Dungy says. "In Minnesota ... we had levels, and so if we were down in the basement, we didn't know what the kids were doing. Here, we are together [on one level]. We wanted openness."

All of this, Lauren Dungy says, promotes a family atmosphere. "We wanted the kids to be able to bring their friends over, and we didn't want to have `hands-off' rooms," she says. "I know when I was growing up, I had hands-off rooms, rooms I wasn't allowed in. The kids use all of the rooms. They have friends over all the time."

Just off from the backyard is a canal that leads to a large lake. In between shooting pool, swimming and jumping on a large outdoor trampoline, the children regularly take their jet skis out for a spin.

During the football season, when the coach usually doesn't get home until after sunset, Lauren Dungy assumes the bulk of the parenting responsibilities. When he is home, Tony Dungy says he and his wife like to take walks in their neighborhood. "We walk and talk about what went on at work, and a lot of times, I'll ask her about certain decisions that I'm trying to make," the coach says. "Sometimes she'll say, `Hey, you have to do what you think is best.' But other times, she'll have a definite opinion. She lets me at least bounce those ideas off her. And that's important. She's a good ear for me."