Tony Dungy on former players: "It's not hard to see why I'm here" in Hall of Fame

One of the most remarkable things about Tony Dungy is his humility.

The former Buccaneers and Colts head coach wasn't shy about the fact that he was rooting more for his former players to make the Hall of Fame this year than for himself to make it, but in the end both happened.  Former Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison was elected to the Class of 2016, and Dungy will join him in entering the game's most elite group.

The reason for his election, if you ask Dungy, is all about his players.

"It's not hard to see why I'm here," Dungy said on Saturday night, according to the Indianapolis Star.  "Warren Sapp went in (to the Hall of Fame) a couple of years ago, Derrick Brooks; Peyton (Manning) is going to go in.  Marvin's going in.  Just some tremendous young men who I had the honor to be around.  There's a reason you go in as a coach.  It's those great players."

Dungy certainly coached a number of great ones during his career.  Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks both played for Dungy in Tampa Bay and are in the Hall of Fame, while another Hall of Famer, Randall McDaniel, spent a brief period near the end of his career playing for Dungy as well.  Another great Buccaneers player, John Lynch, was a finalist this year.  With the Colts, Marvin Harrison is now in the Hall of Fame, while Edgerrin James was a finalist this year.  Other players, like Peyton Manning, Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne, and Adam Vinatieri, are not yet eligible but may have good Hall of Fame cases one day.

While those players certainly deserve the recognition as Hall of Fame players or Hall of Fame-caliber players, so does their former head coach, who helped develop, mentor, and lead the players and their teams.  Dung had tremendous success in his NFL career, compiling a .668 winning percentage (12th all-time) and making eleven playoff appearances in thirteen years while having just one losing season as a head coach - his first one with the Buccaneers.  Dungy turned one of the league's worst franchises into a contender and then had a remarkable run of success with the Colts, becoming the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl.

Dungy may point to his players as the reason he's in the Hall of Fame, but he certainly deserves the recognition as well.