The late Tampa Bay football coach John McKay summed up a popular attitude to Pro Bowl practices when he told players, "get to know your assistant coaches because I plan to be on the golf course."

Pro Bowl practices — and the fans and media that accompany them — are too often viewed by coaches and players as unnecessary evils encroaching upon their beach and golf time in Hawai'i. And some aren't shy about sharing it.

Not so with Tony Dungy in his visits here.

Ever the gentleman and always the sport's ambassador, Dungy often paused for autographs, posed for pictures or talked story with fans. He did interviews with reporters, entertaining questions long after others were tearing a don't-dare-get-in-my-way path to the first tee. And, then, he'd say, "it was a pleasure to meet you" and mean it.

Dungy, 53, announced his retirement as the Indianapolis Colts' head coach yesterday and the Pro Bowl — wherever it is played — will surely miss him as much as the NFL.

Dungy is correctly saluted as the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl. He stands as the only head coach to take his teams to the playoffs 10 consecutive seasons. But the mark of this man just begins at his entries in the record book.

For 31 years in the NFL — 28 as a coach — he brought a rare humility and grace to the sidelines he walked. In compiling a 148-79 record, he operated with a civility so rare in the big-stakes, high-pressure arena as to be refreshing.

In a business run rampant with self-absorbed bellowers and screamers, Dungy was the humble, soft-spoken and cerebral alternative. He was focused without being narrow-minded. He proved coaches didn't have to be abrasive to be successful. That they could be genuine.

Some mistook this for a lack of passion and drive. They were wrong as the respect of his players and a 66.8 career winning percentage and a record percentage of 11 of 13 seasons in the playoffs demonstrated.

Dungy became the youngest NFL assistant coach at age 25 with Pittsburgh, where he had starred in the secondary. But he would wait 15 years for his shot at being a head coach. It could not have been easy for Dungy, who had been the architect of some top-ranked defenses, to get passed over for head coaching opportunities.

He could have played the race card or been bitter and few would have blamed him. Yet, he was neither. Just determined. Like the title of the bestseller that followed the tragic death of his son, Dungy was indeed a man of "Quiet Strength."

He won with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. But he also won along the way with Brad Johnson and Shaun King. He ressurected Tampa Bay and took Indianapolis to the top. Most remarkable, perhaps, he did it all with an uncommon dignity.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.