Black PR Wire Power Profiler on Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith

In recognition of Super Bowl history, Black PR Wire salutes NFL Football Head Coaches Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith as Power Profilers for February 2007.

Although both Dungy and Smith are in the headlines for being the first Black Head Coaches to have brought their teams to the Super Bowl, that is not all they have in common. They are also both dedicated to their families and serving those in need in their personal lives.

Tony Dungy was born October 6, 1955 in Jackson, Michigan. He attended Parkside High School, also in Jackson, where he played on the basketball and football teams. He played quarterback for the University of Minnesota in the 1970's before becoming an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1981. In his 11 seasons as a head coach with the National Football League (NFL), he has taken eight teams to the playoffs, earned 100 career victories, and was the NFL's winningest head coach in the 1999-2005 seasons. He marks five seasons as head coach for the Colts.

Before joining the Colts, Dungy was the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2002. Credited with turning the Buccaneers into a winning team, he was also a hero to the Tampa Bay community for his personal involvement and financial support to charitable organizations. He began Mentors for Life, a program that provided tickets to Buccaneers games for children and their mentors. In the Indianapolis area, he works with Basket of Hope, an organization that provides gift baskets to children hospitalized with cancer, as well as supporting the Black Coaches Association National Convention, the Indiana Black Expo, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Club. Tony and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of Tiara, Jade, Eric, Jordan and the late James Dungy.

The Chicago Bears' Lovie Smith enters his third season as head coach for the team. He was born May 8, 1958 in Gladewater, Texas and started his coaching career at his hometown high school in Big Sandy, Texas. Before coming to Chicago, Smith was defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams where he brought them to play against the New England Patriots in the 2002 Super Bowl. In his sophomore year coaching the Bears, the team experienced 11 victories and captured the National Football Conference North Division. As a result, he was named the 2005 Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year. Smith also coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' linebackers from 1996-2000 under the mentorship of his Super Bowl rival, Tony Dungy.

Lovie and his wife MaryAnne are the parents of Mikal, Matthew, and Miles, and grandparents to Malachi and Noah. The Smiths founded the Lovie and MaryAnne Smith Foundation, designed to help qualified students from low-income backgrounds afford a college education. Smith is a personal supporter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), in honor of his diabetic mother, and has created an ongoing partnership between the Bears and the ADA. Under Smith, the Bears participated in a special ticket donation program for diabetic children, where he purchased a block of season tickets and donated them to the children so they could attend Bears home games.

Black PR Wire recognizes these men for their faith and values, their persistence and perseverance and their unwavering dedication both on and off the field.