Indianapolis Colts' head coach Tony Dungy retired on Monday after 31 years in the league, including three as a player. With his departure the NFL loses one of its finest ambassadors. In a day and age when so many thugs and idiots steal the headlines with negativity, Dungy has thrived by not just winning, but doing it the right away.

In his press conference late Monday afternoon he started by thanking his parents for "teaching him how to treat people".  It was a trait that did him well. Few coaches will ever walk away from the game with the respect from his peers, players, and fans the way Dungy did.

His seven years were special in Indy and included a Super Bowl, but more than that was the whole new generation of Indianapolis Colts fans he helped inspire. It is easy to see what happens if you fail to captivate the youth here in Cincinnati where there are kids who are now old enough to drink yet have only seen one winning Bengals' season in their lives.

Dungy had all the surrounding pieces in Indy that he needed and he knew how to lead all of them in the right direction.  The guy got shafted in Tampa and dealt with tragedy when his teenage son took his own life, but he kept his composure and he kept his faith.

I am not even a fan of the Colts and honestly am sort of getting sick of them, yet I felt sad today when Dungy said goodbye.

Top assistant Jim Caldwell will step into the role of head coach as expected so the team should have good continuinty in its system. Still, there will never be another Tony Dungy.

Dungy, 53, walks away as the most successful coach in Colts history (92-33 including playoffs) and the only coach since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger to direct a team into the postseason 10 consecutive seasons. He took Tampa Bay to the playoffs in his final three seasons as the Buccaneers’ head coach before being fired after the 2001 season, and led Indy into the postseason in each of his seven seasons here.

On a grander scale, Dungy became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl when Indy defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 after the 2006 season. It remains the Colts’ only appearance in the championship game since they moved in Indy in 1984.

NFL colts, tony dungy, jim caldwell