Dungy, wife greet mourners at wake

The Colts coach's 18-year-old son will be buried today.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Tony Dungy and his wife stood for more than three hours Monday night, greeting hundreds of mourners with handshakes and hugs. From NFL players past and present to well-wishers off the street, all came to offer the couple condolences for the loss of their son.
Today, the Indianapolis Colts coach and his wife, Lauren, will bury 18-year-old James Dungy.
Among those who waited hours to file through the tiny funeral home chapel were former Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella and representatives from several NFL teams. Many had never met James Dungy, but still felt compelled to show support for a soft-spoken man revered in this city as much more than a football coach.
The Dungys took the time to thank each person for coming by to pay respect to James, who was found dead in his suburban apartment last week of an apparent suicide. The exact cause of his death was pending the result of a toxicology report.
Show of love
"Hopefully he felt the love that I have for him and Lauren," Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks said. "He's doing the best he can under the circumstances. A lot of people have come to pay their respects because he's meant more to this community than just a football coach."
One woman, who described herself a lifelong Tampa resident who appreciates what Dungy continues to do for the city even though he's no longer leading the Bucs, said the coach seemed to be comforting well-wishers more than vice versa.
"He has got some strength," Katherine Palmer said, emphasizing each word.
Among the others filing past the open casket were: Denver Broncos safety John Lynch; former Minnesota Vikings star Cris Carter; former Bucs and Colts kicker Martin Gramatica; current Bucs Mike Alstott, Dave Moore and Jeff Gooch; and former Vikings head coach and Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Les Steckel.
Will be joined by players
The Colts still don't know when Dungy will return as coach. However, he will be joined by his players today when the team flies to Florida to attend the funeral at Idlewild Baptist Church.
"I think it will be great for Coach Dungy and I think it will be great for our team, our coaching staff and those people in the building who work with him day to day," Jim Caldwell, who is running the Colts in Dungy's absence, said in Indianapolis.
Caldwell has been in almost daily contact with Dungy and trying to keep the Colts in their routine. That included a scheduled three-day break even after a second straight loss Saturday, 28-13 at Seattle.
But discussion of playoffs, losses or the need to win another game to avoid a three-game skid heading into the playoffs has been overshadowed by Dungy's five-day absence. He left the team Thursday after James Dungy was found dead.
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