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Editor's Note: This story appears in the Jan. 2, 2006, issue of ESPN The Magazine, which is currently on newstands. It was written before Tony Dungy's 18-year-old son, James, was found dead in a Tampa-area apartment Thursday morning.

It seems almost impossible now, after the Colts began the season on a 13-game winning streak, but there was a time when Tony Dungy was just as well known for a sensational string of losses.

In 1996, the Buccaneers were a laughingstock, a franchise in utter disarray. And after rejections from Jimmy Johnson and Steve Spurrier, the Bucs' search for a head coach turned to Dungy, a little-known but widely respected Vikings defensive coordinator. Moments before his interview, Dungy's glasses had broken and, without knowing it, he went the entire conversation with his specs tilted awkwardly across his nose. The Bucs hired him anyway.

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