The Indianapolis Colts’ victory in Super Bowl XLI marked a definitive moment in the history of the National Football League. With a 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears, Tony Dungy became the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl title. The game, played on February 4, 2007, was also the first time in league history that two Black head coaches faced one another for the championship.

Dungy entered the professional coaching ranks following a playing career as a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers from 1977 to 1979. After retiring as a player, he transitioned to the sidelines, serving as an assistant coach for the Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs before being named the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 1992.

In 1996, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Dungy as their head coach. At the time of his hiring, he was one of only four Black head coaches in the modern era of the NFL, a small group that included Art Shell, Dennis Green, and Ray Rhodes. During his six seasons in Tampa Bay, Dungy is credited with implementing the "Tampa 2" defensive scheme and reversing the fortunes of a franchise that had experienced 12 double-digit loss seasons in the 13 years prior to his arrival. He led the Buccaneers to four playoff appearances before being dismissed in 2002. Even after his firing, many still credit him for building the Tampa Bay roster that won the Super Bowl in 2003 with Jon Gruden as head coach.

Shortly after leaving Tampa Bay, Dungy was hired by the Indianapolis Colts. His seven-year tenure in Indianapolis resulted in a 139-69-0 regular-season record and playoff appearances in every season he coached the team. The pinnacle of this era occurred during the 2006 season. Despite the Chicago Bears scoring on a 92-yard kickoff return in the opening seconds of Super Bowl XLI, the Colts, led by Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning, scored 23 unanswered points to secure the franchise's first title since 1971.

Beyond his personal win-loss record, Dungy established a coaching tree that has seen several of his former assistants attain head coaching positions. This group includes Lovie Smith, Herm Edwards, Jim Caldwell, Mike Tomlin, and Leslie Frazier.

While the NFL introduced the Rooney Rule in 2003 to increase the interviewing of minority candidates for leadership roles, the league continues to face scrutiny regarding the representation of Black coaches.