Tony Dungy is best known as the Super Bowl winning head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, but he is also an evangelical Christian who believe it or not at one time considered leaving football for the prison ministry. Tony became the first African-American head coach to have won a Super Bowl. They defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI who were coached by fellow African-American head coach Lovie Smith who is friends with Tony Dungy. Tony said afterwards that he and Lovie are proud to be the first African-American coaches but they are more proud to also be the first evangelical Christians coaching in that spot.
Tony Started with the NFL as a defensive player for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was part of their 1978 Championship team. Dungy is the only player to ever record an interception in a game and also throw an interception in the same game. He was a safety on defense, but he also was the emergency backup quarterback which meant that when Terry Bradshaw and Mike Kruczek both went down Dungy was now also taking the snaps on offense. Tony also played with the San Francisco 49’ers and the New York Giants before he retired.
Tony started out his coaching career with some assistant positions until he landed his first head coaching job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was there from 1996-2001 and made four playoff appearances. The most impressive season was their 1999 run all the way to a closely contested NFC championship game against the St. Louis Rams by a score of 11-6, this was a tough loss. Next Tony went on to Indianapolis(2002-2008)where he would take the Colts to the playoffs every single season he was there. They won the Super Bowl in the 2005 season with Peyton Manning as the MVP.
After the 2008 season Dungy retired from coaching, he is now an analyst on NBC’s “Football Night in America.” He has had more time for his family and his faith. He has written several books, most notably “Quiet Strength.” He is also the National Spokesman for the fatherhood program “All Pro Dad.” Here is a list of some of the most interesting and inspiring quotes from Tony Dungy.
20. “We often can’t see what God is doing in our lives, but God sees the whole picture and His plan for us clearly.”
19. “God does have much more in store for us than just this life.”
18. “Anyone who’s a parent dreads that call in the middle of the night. I have four grown children and I still dread it.”
17. “If you’re just saying, hey, I’m doing this, I’m working to make money. I’m working to increase my status. If that’s all there Is, I think you’ll find out that’s meaningless.
16. “We talked about some of our experiences, focusing, hanging together down the stretch, important games. It’s not necessarily who has the most talent, but what team sticks together and executes their fundamentals the best.
15. “I enjoy talking to young people and talking to people about helping young people. That part is not a chore. It’s pretty fun, and something I like to do because I think it’s important.”
14. “People look at me and see a calm, cool guy on the sidelines and I want them to know that my Christian faith affects my coaching and everything I do.”
13. “I’ve said all along that God is in control.”
12. “I need to treat everybody fairly, but fair doesn’t always mean equal.”11. “When You’re in a situation you can complain about it, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do a lot of things. But how are you going to make the situation better?”
11. “When You’re in a situation you can complain about it, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do a lot of things. But how are you going to make the situation better?”
10. “Remember that mentor leadership is all about serving.” Jesus said:
"The Truth" Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as ransom for many.
9. “I know I have a son who doesn’t listen to anything I say and if he hears the same thing from someone else, sometimes it has a little more impact.”
8. “I’m just really making sure I am doing the best job I can do as a dad. I do think that is my number one job.”
7. “We have a number of difficulties facing our nation, but I believe fatherlessness is right at the top of the list.”
6. “I just think winners win. And guys who won all the way through high school and college, the best players at every level, they have a way of making things happen and winning games.”
5. “I learned from Chuck Noll in Pittsburgh that speed and explosiveness on defense is the way to build a team. Both are difficult for your opponent to assimilate in practice and then in games it is even harder to match.”
4. “I am a firm believer that the Lord sometimes has to short-circuit even our best plans for our benefit.”
3. “The secret to success is good leadership, and good leadership is all about making the lives of your team members or workers better.”
2. “You can’t always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response. Your options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better.”
1. “There’s no substitute for a full-time dad. Dad’s who are fully engaged with their kids overwhelmingly tend to produce children who believe in themselves and live full lives.”
Conclusion
I think clearly we can see how passionate Dungy is about the Father above and being a father himself. He is a great and inspiring leader for the Christian community. I am excited to see what God’s plan will bring for Tony Dungy in the future as evangelical Christian.
Please share below in the comments if these quotes were helpful. God Bless!
Resources
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
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