Dungy announces his retirement from Colts

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy officially announced his retirement Monday.

Dungy spent the past seven years with the Colts, directing Indianapolis to the playoffs each year and a Super Bowl championship after the 2006 season with a victory over the Chicago Bears.

The Colts were 12-4 this season and finished second in the AFC South behind the 13-3 Tennessee Titans. But Indianapolis did not advance in the playoffs, losing to San Diego Jan. 3.

"You really don't think about this or prepare something for when you retire," Dungy said at a Monday news conference. "These 31 years in football have been fantastic for me. These seven years I have been here have been better than I could ever imagine."

The Colts already have a successor in place. Last year, they named Associate Head Coach Jim Caldwell as Dungy's eventual replacement.

The Colts won at least 10 games in each season under Dungy, who was 85-27 as Indy's head coach in the regular season and 7-6 in the post-season. Dungy's tenure included five straight AFC South titles from 2003-07.

He was named Maxwell Football Club NFL Coach of the Year in 2006 and Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year in 2005.

Before joining the Colts, Dungy spent six years as head coach of Tampa Bay, where he had a regular-season mark of 54-42 and four playoff appearances.