Many Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, including Tony Dungy’s son Jordan, were presented at AT&T Stadium.
Tony Dungy, 69, is a former American professional football safety coach who served as a head coach in the NFL for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts.
Highlights
- Tony and his adopted son Jordan Dungy appeared at AT&T stadium to watch the Buccaneers match.
- Jordan was adopted by Tony Dungy and his wife, Lauren Dungy, in 2000.
- Tony’s second eldest son, James, died on December 22, 2005.
He started his coaching career in 1996 with the Buccaneers, a franchise regarded as one of the league’s worst.
However, Dungy was fired after the 2001 playoffs due to frequent postseason struggles, but he is credited with constructing the team that won Super Bowl XXXVII the following year.
Tony was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Tony Dungy’s Adopted Son Jordan Dungy Was Born With Epidermolysis Bullosa Disability
Jordan Dungy, 25, was born in 2000 and adopted by Tony and Lauren Dungy the same year.
According to Tony, Jordan was in the hospital for a few days after birth before he got to bring him home.
A lot of Bucs fans out at AT&T Stadium including Tony Dungy's son, Jordan. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pCQRsyJGNW
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 23, 2024
The doctors and nurses told Tony that Jordan was kept for a few more tests.
He assumed that was standard procedure while adopting a newborn, although he was a bit concerned that the birth mother might be changing her mind.
The agency told Tony not to worry and that all the tests were fine. However, Tony felt odd that Jordan didn’t cry when he received his first set of shots.
Then, one afternoon, when Tony was watching football, Jordan fell from the bed but didn’t cry.
He took Jordan to a pediatric neurologist in Tampa, who suggested taking Jordan to the University of Florida, Gainesville, for more definitive tests.
The doctors in Gainesville answered that Jordan is missing a gene and doesn’t feel pain like others. Furthermore, they said that he has an epidermolysis bullosa disability.
While Jordan grew up, Lauren and Tony had to teach him the consequences of right and wrong and dangerous activities to protect him.
On August 23, 2017, Tony posted on Facebook that Jordan drove himself to school for the first time.
Recently, Jordan and his father, Tony, appeared at AT&T Stadium on December 22, 2024, to watch a Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night match against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hall Of Famer Tony’s Elder Son James Dungy Took His Own Life
Tony and Lauren Dungy have 11 children, three biological and eight adopted. Their second eldest biological son is James Dungy.
James was born in 1987 but took his own life on December 22, 2005, at the age of 18.
His girlfriend called 911 about 1:30 a.m. after finding him in his Lutz apartment unresponsive, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
A sheriff’s deputy performed CPR before an ambulance rushed him to University Community Hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Debbie Carter said,
“Based on evidence at the scene, indications are that this death appears to be a suicide,” “There is no other information to contradict that at this time.”
Debbie Carter
The day before suicide, James made his last post in which he wrote,
“can’t talk to nobody n e more.”
James Dungy
Around the same time, he posted a message to another friend, inviting him to his birthday party.
Authorities said he spent that evening with his girlfriend, who left the apartment for a walk shortly after 1 a.m. However, the reason behind suicide has not been revealed.
James liked to make people laugh, crack jokes, and imitate hip-hop dance moves. He played football, was a devoted friend, and was interested in black history.
He attended Tampa Catholic for two years and then transferred to Gaither High School, where he played defensive end on the football team.
After Tony became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, James moved north to finish his senior year. Later, he returned to Tampa Bay and settled into the Campus Lodge Apartments in Lutz.
Additional Information
- Tony Dungy has an estimated net worth of $14 million as of 2024.
- He was born to his father, Wilbur Dungy, and his mother, Cleomar Dungy. His father served as a pilot in the Army Air Forces during World War II.
- Tony was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1977.
