Among the many things to like about Eric Dungy as a football player is, he’s a winner from a winning tradition. Dungy played receiver and defensive back at Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, on a team that went 53-4 in his time with the varsity, winning three state championships. Look up and down the Duck roster, you’ll find a lot of players like that. Winning is infectious. You catch it from positive expections. It’s a learned habit of commitment, preparation and will.
Dungy had five picks his senior year while catching 24 balls for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He recovered three fumbles and batted down 8 passes as a defensive back, numbers that make you think, smart player. He made second team All-county, maybe a late bloomer at 6-1 183. I checked. Jeff Maehl as a freshman? 6-1, 178. So you can’t say he isn’t big enough or fast enough. He went 21-5 in the long jump as a prep, another indication of explosion and athletic ability.
Dungy keeps creeping up the depth chart, and it has nothing to do with his famous name, which he is quietly modest about. Of course he is proud of his dad, one of the NFL’s most respected coaches, a Super Bowl winner who advises athletes and coaches all around the country, a man of principle and grace. But Eric has earned his own way as a football player, nabbing two balls in the Spring Game for 19 yards, one a crisp slant pattern over the middle, looking like a veteran possession receiver, very Jeff Maehl and Cristin McLemore-like.
The redshirt freshmen keeps showing up in practice reports, out-leaping defenders for the ball, hauling in a long pass behind the coverage, running another just-right route over the middle. He has good hands and good habits catching the football, taking it away from his body, or at the highest point when it’s in the air and contested by a defensive back. His experience in a high school secondary aids him; he has tremendous timing and leaping ability and fights for the ball well. It was the Register-Guard’s Rob Moseley who first made the McLemore comparison in print.
Dungy hasn’t appeared in a game yet at Oregon, so he has 162 catches and 2498 yards to catch McLemore. Comparisons are never absolute; they’re just an entertaining way to describe the potential and playing style of athletes that are on the way up, what they could be and could accomplish if they apply themselves. And Eric Dungy shows every sign of applying himself, working his way up the depth chart with sustained effort and a willingness to pay the price. There’s no complaining about not starting, just a commitment to doing the things necessary to make the plane.
For all we know, his career stat line while at Eugene might be 5 catches for 89 yards and one touchdown. Or he could blossom into a wonderful player. Right now the Ducks need depth at receiver, with the three promising freshmen pencilled in for a redshirt. And Dungy, who keeps making sharp cuts and making plays in practice, has earned a shot at a little playing time off the bench. It will be interesting to see what he does with it. Four years ago, a freshman defensive back took a few snaps at wideout because the Ducks were short-handed. Wound up having a pretty good career.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
