Tony Dungy said he will never fully understand why his 18-year-old son James died in December 2005, a loss that changed his family and came during one of the best stretches of his coaching career with the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaking on The Sage Steele Show, Dungy said the tragedy was something no parent can prepare for. “That was a tough one. It really was. It's something you never expect. You can't get prepared for it. There's no blueprint for it,” he said.
James Dungy died on December 22, 2005. He was found unresponsive at approximately 1:30 a.m. in his apartment in Lutz, Florida. A responding Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy performed CPR, and paramedics transported him to University Community Hospital. A later Hillsborough County Medical Examiner report concluded James Dungy died by suicide.
How Dungy returned to coaching
At the time, Dungy was coaching the Colts during a 13-0 start to the 2005 season. He said the pain was immediate and deep, but that his faith and his family's beliefs helped them endure it.
“You lose a son who was 18 at the time. Gosh, it was painful. It was hurtful. But we believe the Bible. We believe God's word,” Dungy said.
A couple of days after the funeral in Tampa, Dungy flew back to Indianapolis. He led practice on December 29, 2005, then coached the regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals on January 1, 2006.
He also said the experience gave him a way to connect with others facing the same kind of grief. “I probably talked to 200 dads who have lost kids and been able to tell them that you can make it through and you can fight through,” Dungy said.
In his view, faith remained the anchor. “Lord, I'll never know why and never totally understand, but I do know that if I have faith in you that something good can come out of it,” he said.
Dungy has also written and spoken about the tragedy in Quiet Strength, and the story remains one of the most difficult chapters of a career that ended with his official retirement on January 12, 2009, at age 53.
