Coach Dungy rides off into the sunset, proving that nice guys can indeed succeed in the NFL.

In football it's common to hear people yap about how nice guys finish last, especially in coaching. They say that if you lack the sneer of Bill Cowher or the growl of Mike Ditka, you have no shot in the NFL. When a coach hollers with furor at the quarterback after he pulls a Jake Delhomme and turns the ball over, it's viewed as a sign that the coach has control of his team. But when a coach tries to console his QB after an ill-advised interception, oh no, that's unacceptable. That means that the coach is weak, having lost the respect of his players. This popular wisdom is one of the biggest myths in American sports.

Don't get me wrong: Intensity is good. As a 49ers fan, I love having Mike Singletary roaming the sidelines, a guy that defines the word intense. And I am not defending passivity as an effective coaching tactic. It's always nice to see coaches rip into their team once in a while, for it can be a successful motivational technique. Wade Phillips, for instance, should have expressed frustration during the Tony Romo-Terrell Owens-Jason Witten soap opera, instead of staying as silent as Mark McGwire during a congressional hearing. Tough love is a necessary trait in a coach. Paris Hilton becoming a college professor and Donald Trump becoming a hair stylist are more likely occurrences than Bill Parcells giving a compliment, but Parcells is one of the greatest coaches the game has ever seen. So yes, it can be good to be one tough cookie. However, coaching success does not depend on personality. You can be the meanest, maddest soul on earth, and you can still be a terrible coach. You can be the kindest, most angelic creature the world has ever seen, and you could be the second coming of Vince Lombardi. In other words, the idea that a nice coach is a weak coach is fundamentally wrong.

Tony Dungy serves as proof that good guys can win in the National Football League. Everyone should strive to be as decent as Coach Dungy. Here's a guy who has suffered through incredible hardship in his personal life, yet he always has a smile on his face, always treats everyone with respect. And the guy knows his football. Dungy is the first coach since the 1970 merger to reach the playoffs in ten consecutive seasons, the last seven coming as boss of the Indianapolis Colts. He led the Colts to a victory in Super Bowl XLI, becoming the first black coach to ever win the Super Bowl. Some say that Dungy is overrated. I guess some people are impossible to please. I guess some people don't understand the difficulty of making the playoffs in ten consecutive years. Tony Dungy is not overrated. In fact, he may be underrated. His generosity leads some to believe that he is not a top-notch coach.

Tony Dungy is a top-notch coach, and the announcement of his retirement today comes as bittersweet news. His presence on the sidelines will be missed. Dungy's legacy is remarkable for a multitude of reasons. His legacy is proof that nice guys can finish first.