COLTS

Hall of Famers Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy achieve football immortality

Stephen Holder
IndyStar
Coach and player (Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison) will go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame together.

SAN FRANCISCO — Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy will live forever.

Going to Canton grants you immortality.

The Indianapolis Colts' all-time leading receiver and the team's Super Bowl-winning former coach on Saturday night became just the fifth and sixth persons associated with the Colts to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Indianapolis era, joining Richard Dent, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk and Bill Polian.

It is a great tribute to the one of the Colts' greatest eras, during which they won at unprecedented levels and created an untold number of unforgettable memories.

"I always talked during our era that, not only was it great, but it was so entertaining," said owner Jim Irsay, who beamed from the audience when the names were revealed at the NFL Honors awards ceremony. "Those were really special guys on those teams."

It was a night for reflection. So many memories, so little time.

Dungy talked about the day Irsay left a voicemail for him in 2002, shortly after he had been fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dungy was uncertain about his future, unsure what lay ahead. Irsay pounced. He actually called Dungy before informing team president Bill Polian of his plans.

"He said, 'We want to build a team the right way in Indianapolis,'" Dungy said Saturday, recalling Irsay's phone call. "'We want to connect with our fans. We want a team that represents our city well.' He didn’t talk about championships or any of that. He just talked about how he wanted to do it."

Dungy's trail-blazing career makes him perfect Hall of Fame candidate

Dungy ticked off the list of greats who played for him, practically in awe at his great fortune. They helped make his career what it became.

"It’s not hard to see why I’m here," he said. "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 also embraced his role as a pioneer in the game. Yes, his career results place him among the giants in his profession. He owns the 12th-best winning percentage in NFL history. His .668 winning percentage ranks one spot ahead of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (.664).

But Dungy's impact was realized in another fashion. He was one of the first African-American head coaches in the NFL and the first to win a Super Bowl.

"It’s very, very emotional for me," he said. "I came into the league in 1977. I think at that time there were seven or eight African-American assistant coaches in the entire league. It wasn’t a situation where you had a lot of role models. But I had a lot of people who believed in me, and I’m very, very proud to represent those men."

But as he stated earlier, he also had tremendous talent with which to work. And there were few worthy of comparison with Harrison.

Why Marvin Harrison belongs in the Hall of Fame

Harrison’s selection puts an exclamation point on the career of one of the greatest Colts in Indianapolis and Baltimore. When the Colts traded quarterback Jeff George to the Atlanta Falcons, they received in exchange a first-round pick they ultimately used on Harrison. With that No. 19 overall choice in the 1996 NFL Draft, the Colts selected a somewhat undersized receiver from Syracuse.

That same young player went on to have eight consecutive seasons of 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He set a single-season NFL record with 143 receptions in 2002 and was a six-time All-Pro.

Harrison was not in attendance Saturday night — he was scheduled to fly to California overnight and be present for Super Bowl 50 — and an attempt to patch him into a news conference by phone went awry when the notoriously private Harrison failed to comprehend that a pack of reporters was listening to his phone call. Irsay actually took the phone and ultimately coaxed him into talking briefly.

But no such effort was needed on the football field when it came to Harrison.

"I’m telling you, I’ve seen artists of all shapes and forms. I’ve seen great football players, I’ve seen great guitarists, I’ve seen great artists," Irsay said. "He was a craftsman. Truly artistic in his game. I use this word, and I don’t say it often, but he really was incomparable."

After learning he was elected to the Hall, Harrison immediately made a phone call. It was to Irsay. He thanked Irsay for giving him the opportunity and for being an uncompromising source of support.

The Colts duo were selected along with Brett Favre, Kevin Greene, Orlando Pace, contributor Ed DeBartolo Jr. and senior selections Ken Stabler and Dick Stanfel.

Harrison was a finalist for the second consecutive year, but this time he made the cut to the final five chosen for enshrinement by the 46-member selection committee. Dungy was a finalist for the second time and made the cut to 10 during initial voting last year.

They were not the only Colts in the running. Running back Edgerrin James, a first-time finalist, failed to make the cut in his second year of eligibility. However, his odds are good. Eighty-five percent of finalists eventually make it into the Hall, officials said.

But there was plenty to celebrate Sunday. The selection of two Colts for the game's highest honor puts a permanent stamp on one of the Colts' greatest eras. Now, the men who helped produce the amazing results seen in Indianapolis for all those years are getting their due.

Harrison and Dungy were two of the best.

Saturday's vote just made it official — forever.

Follow IndyStar reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.