When the President of the United States calls, the Colts' Head Coach once told Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, you pretty much have to answer.

Now, Dungy has done just that.

Dungy, who in February coached the Colts to their first Super Bowl title in 36 years and who this summer became a New York Times best-selling author, will serve in the Bush Administration, the White House announced Tuesday.

President George W. Bush on Tuesday announced his intention to appoint Dungy to be a Member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

The appointment has a term of two years with a time commitment of two in-person meetings per year and quarterly phone conversations with assigned committees.

“I had heard it was in the mix for a while, and it’s just an honor,” Dungy said Tuesday afternoon following a Colts 2007 Training Camp practice at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

“It’s something we always talk about here with our team, about serving your community and being part of the community and trying to make things better.

“To be appointed by the President is obviously a once-in-a-lifetime type thrill.”

Dungy, entering his sixth season as the Colts’ head coach, visited the White House this past April 23 when President Bush honored the team for its Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears in February.

“We talked a little bit about it and they called and asked if I’d be willing to serve,” Dungy said. “Of course, you would. I didn’t know how it all had to transpire.

“Apparently, they had to do some (background) checking and that kind of thing.”

Dungy, whose recently-released memoir, Quiet Strength, recently moved to No. 1 on the New York Times hardcover non-fiction best-seller list, long has been known among players and peers as one of the NFL’s classiest, highest-character coaches.

“I came through the (background) process all right,” Dungy said, laughing. “But it was quite an honor and something that you can still hardly believe.”

Bush established the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation in January 2003 to “help recognize outstanding volunteer service, and in so doing, foster even greater participation among all Americans to answer his call to service.”

The 25-member council represents leaders from government, business, entertainment, athletics and non-profit organizations committed to growing the spirit of service and civic participation.

Candidates represent a diverse cross-stream of leaders from the private sector, non-profit organizations, government, entertainment, education and other areas.

Members of the President’s Council are encouraged to leverage their respective positions to increase the visibility of volunteerism more broadly.

Actor Stephen Baldwin, singer/actress Hilary Duff, singer Sara Evans, actress Patricia Heaton and NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne are among those also serving on the Council.

“My role is just to do what we do and show people how we try to serve and be that beacon here, and then to help out with any type of ideas and information when they ask,” Dungy said. “We’ll do as much as we can - but still have to keep the day job. . . .

“It was something that was really hard to believe. Certainly, when you go into football coaching, you’re not expecting to get presidential appointments to anything.

“It was really just beyond the scope of anything I’d thought about.”

It was the day after the Colts’ Super Bowl victory over Chicago that Dungy and Manning first discussed the topic of being contacted by the President.

That morning, as Manning and Dungy rode to a next-day Super Bowl press conference for the game’s Most Valuable Player and Head Coach, Dungy’s phone rang. He spoke to the person on the other end a while, then handed the phone to Manning, who was on another call.

The call was from President Bush, and Manning has joked since about Dungy telling him it was a relatively important call.

“Like I told Peyton, some calls you have to take,” Dungy said Tuesday with a laugh. “When they call, you have to be ready no matter what.”