Colts: Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy Join Football Immortality

On August 6, 2016, former Indianapolis Colts Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy officially joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was great to see these two men join pro football immortality Saturday night.

Harrison had a legendary 13-season career with the Colts, which was the only NFL franchise he ever played for. He accumulated 1102 receptions, 14,580 receiving yards and 128 touchdowns in his career.

Dungy had a wonderful 13-year head coaching career. After spending six solid seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had a spectacular seven-season tenure with the Colts. With the Colts, Dungy had an 85-27 record and became the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl in 2006.

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Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement seemed like a certainty for both men even though neither was a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Both men were very humble and expressed their gratitude during their induction speeches.

Harrison was the first of the two inductees to speak. He spent plenty of time reflecting on his life and career. He also thanked a few individuals who greatly influenced his career; like Tony Dungy, former Colts’ general manager Bill Polian, and former Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning.

"“Peyton, I want to say that you came into the league in your first year and I was happy to be a part of that, and I saw the work ethic that you had, and we carried that on for quite a few more years. So I want to thank you, too, Peyton.”"

Dungy also thanked everyone who helped him reach this milestone. In particular, he expressed gratitude towards the late Dennis Green. Green hired Dungy to be the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator in 1992, which was one of the biggest breaks in Dungy’s career.

"“Denny went out of his way to teach me the responsibilities of being a head coach, taught me about things on and off the field. He did it because he wanted to see me become a head coach, and he wanted me to be prepared and be ready when that opportunity came, and I love him for that.”"

Dungy also had one of the moments of the night. During his speech, he asked all of his former players in attendance to stand up. After all his former players stood up, he told them, “there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m up here because of you.”

It was a touching moment because Dungy had always been a player’s coach in his head coaching career. He always tried to deflect praise towards his players. This moment in Dungy’s speech is just another example of that.

It certainly was a great night as multiple players and contributors joined pro football immortality. However, Harrison and Dungy certainly made their marks on this magical night.

Next: Colts vs. Packers Hall of Fame Game Preview

The Indianapolis Colts should feel fortunate that these two men were integral parts of the franchise’s history.

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