TONY DUNGY Indianapolis coach plans to come back

Players have praised the coach for his rapport, his approach and his beliefs.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Tony Dungy needed one week to decide he still wants to be an NFL coach. Now it's back to pursuing that elusive Super Bowl run.
The Indianapolis Colts said Monday that Dungy would return as their coach next season, ending speculation he might retire following the death of his 18-year-old son, James, last month.
"I was always coming back unless I said I wasn't," he said through the team.
Dungy and team president Bill Polian were en route to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., Monday and were unavailable for comment. The Associated Press left a phone message for team owner Jim Irsay.
Dungy's eventual decision was not a certainty.
Seemed in conflict
One day after the Colts' shocking 21-18 loss to eventual AFC champion Pittsburgh in the playoffs, Dungy seemed genuinely conflicted about his coaching future. At one point during his final news conference, Dungy said he was 100 percent sure he would return -- if the Colts asked him back.
Later, he left open the possibility of retirement, noting he wasn't sure how he would react after spending time with his family and reflecting on his son's apparent suicide.
"My only reservation is that I really don't know how I'll react in the next few days," he said then.
Players have often praised Dungy for his rapport, his approach and beliefs.
It's a combination that has helped make Dungy one of the NFL's most successful coaches over the past decade. Dungy has beaten all 32 teams, reached the playoffs eight times, won three straight AFC South titles and taken teams to the AFC and NFC championship games.
When the Colts won their first 13 games this season, the discussion centered on the possibility of an unbeaten season. During the streak, Dungy won his 100th career game less than two weeks after he turned 50.
Son's death
After losing to San Diego, though, Dungy took a one-week hiatus to mourn the death of his son. James Dungy was found unresponsive in his Tampa apartment on Dec. 22. Two days after the funeral, Dungy returned to the team, and three days later, the Colts beat Arizona 17-13 in the regular-season finale with a last-minute goal-line stand. Afterward, safety Mike Doss sprinted to the sidelines and handed Dungy the game ball.
Now, though, he appears ready to fulfill the three-year contract extension he signed in September. That will keep him with the Colts through 2009 and give him more opportunities to chase the one glaring omission from his resume -- a Super Bowl.
"I could walk away without it," he said last week. "That's something a lot of guys have to walk away without. But I'll do it when the time is right, and right now, I don't think the time is right."