Senator Schauer offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 74.

            A resolution honoring Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, and the 2007 Super Bowl Champions.

            Whereas, Tony Dungy was born in 1955 in Jackson, Michigan, the son of the late Wilbur and Cleomae Dungy, a Jackson Community College professor and high school teacher, respectively. He was the star quarterback at Parkside High School in Jackson and earned a scholarship to the University of Minnesota; and

            Whereas, He went on to play in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers, and then began coaching in 1981, when at age 25, he became the youngest assistant in NFL history and then was promoted to become the NFL’s youngest defensive coordinator in 1984; and

            Whereas, Tony Dungy’s first Super Bowl win was as a defensive back for the 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers, who defeated the Dallas Cowboys on January 21, 1979, at the Orange Bowl in Miami. When the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007, Tony Dungy became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl and just the third player in NFL history to have won the Super Bowl as both a player and as a head coach; and

            Whereas, Tony Dungy currently holds the highest regular season winning percentage among active coaches in the NFL, and he is the first coach in history to have recorded back-to-back 9-0 season starts; and

Whereas, Even beyond his outstanding achievements in athletics, Tony Dungy has earned widespread respect for his commitment to community service. While in Tampa Bay, Dungy served as a public speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action and began a mentoring program for young people called Mentors for Life. He has been active with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club, the Prison Crusade Ministry, and foster parenting organizations. In Indianapolis, he helped launch the Basket of Hope program which aids children at Riley Hospital for Children; and

            Whereas, Tony and his wife Lauren are the parents of six children, daughters Tiara and Jade, and sons Eric, Jordan, and Justin, and the late James Dungy; and

Whereas, Although he has achieved national recognition, Tony Dungy continues to return home to Jackson, Michigan, where, as the Jackson Citizen-Patriot wrote of him, “the mere mention of the Indianapolis Colts coach makes people smile.” He continues in Jackson to show his love for the community, its youth, and education in particular; and

Whereas, Tony Dungy will return to Michigan once again on June 15, 2007, as a special guest at Jackson Community College to benefit the Dr. Wilbur L. Dungy Endowed Chair in Science Fund; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That we offer this expression of our highest tribute to honor Tony Dungy for his achievements both on and off the playing field; and be it further

            Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to Tony Dungy as evidence of our high esteem.