Quiet Strength (Dungy & Whitaker, 2008) is an autobiography based on the life of Tony Dungy. Tony Dungy was the first African American head coach to win the Superbowl, when he lifted it in 2007 with the Indianapolis Colts. Although the book follows Dungy, first through his upbringing, his college days and then his professional career, the book is far more than just a chronological story of his playing and coaching success. Dungy is a devote Christian and throughout the book he references his faith, his philosophies and his priorities, explaining how each helped form the foundation of his decisions in both personal and professional aspects of his life. Dungy believes he was following his calling, and his role in the NFL was chosen for him, to have more of a lasting impact on society than just to win trophies. Dungy highlights that although football was a part of life he enjoyed, he always viewed it as a means to do more. Dungy did a very good job of discussing his professional career using the NFL to share his faith and belief’s with the readers. It has certainly left me believing that it is possible to be successful in sport whilst staying true to your calling and faith.
Tony Dungy was born in Jackson, Michigan to college graduate parents. His mother and father were both teachers and he was raised with the expectation that he and his siblings would be college graduates also. His three siblings, Sherrie, Lauren and Linden, all hold professional level jobs of which Dungy respects greatly, he accepts that whilst his line of work gives him more notoriety in many circles, they’re doing jobs of much more importance. During high school Dungy excelled at both basketball and football before eventually playing football in college. Dungy was opinionated as a teenager, and one experience he shared in the book was when following his Junior year at Parkside High School he quit the basketball team in protest of what he thought was racist bias by the school, who for some reason did not want two African American captains simultaneously. He was willing to stand down from the team to prove his point, but was later talked into returning to football by Leroy Rockquemore. Rockquemore was an African American administrator, whom by Dungy’s account was keen to look out for the African American students at the school. Dungy accepts he acted hastily in this situation and has since been conscious of making more rational decisions.
Dungy was clearly very athletic as he attended the University of Minnesota to play both football and basketball. After his Freshman year of basketball he picked up an injury which meant he was forced to drop basketball and just focus on the football team and academic study. At the University of Minnesota Dungy avoided drinking and smoking, which was reasonably common amongst other students, by making moral decisions determined by asking himself what his mother or father would think of his behavior. After picking up many team and conference awards during his college football career, Dungy was expecting to be drafted into the NFL in 1977. He talks about sitting by the phone all day waiting for a call to come, only to realize it wasn’t coming. He discusses how he remembers that experience, and throughout his coaching career ensured he never left players in the same position as he was in. He would always give them an exact time to expect a call from him.
After not being drafted directly to the NFL in 1977 Dungy discusses the period when he had the option of going to the Canadian Football league with a considerable signing bonus, or going to the Pittsburg Steelers, where he was offered significantly less to attend training camp. There was no commitment for a full time position at the end. He chose Pittsburg and not only managed to earn a spot on the team, but went on to contribute greatly as they won the Superbowl that year. Following the Superbowl win in 1978 Dungy was traded to the San Francisco 49’ers, although it was tough for a player to be traded after fighting for his position and then performing well in a Superbowl winning team, Dungy knew it was where God ultimately wanted him to be and accepted the trade with grace. He lasted just one year in San Francisco before being traded again, this time to New York. As Dungy himself said, he was in a position where even a 2-14 team didn’t want him as a player. The New York Giants offered him a coaching role, but before he could accept the Steelers also offered him the chance to start his coaching career back with them. He chose to go back to the Steelers. It was due to the trades, the failed attempt at playing, and now the new coaching role that put Dungy back in Pittsburg and in the position to meet Lauren Harris in 1981 who would go on to become his wife. It was all part of Gods plan. Dungy held successful coaching positions with the Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and finally the Minnesota Vikings, before getting the opportunity to head coach an NFL Franchise. He finally got the opportunity when he was hired by the Glazers to be the head coach of the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a job he had not been expecting to get given, as he had only reached the interview stage for a head coaches role twice in the previous eight years, and this interview didn’t even go that well. Even with the press referring to him as the token minority interviewee, and smashing his glasses on the way to the interview, Dungy was offered the role of head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996.
The Buccaneers were not a successful franchise when he took over, and in his first meeting he set forward some very simple and effective principles. Dungy stayed true to these principles his entire coaching career. It is not doing extraordinary things that make champions, it is doing the ordinary things better than anyone else. At Tampa, Dungy wanted to do more than just create a winning team. He wanted to create a team that was accepted, welcomed and integrated into the community. He wanted to create something the community could be proud of both on and off the field. At his first game as an NFL coach there were empty seats everywhere, it took less than two years to turn the fortunes of the team around and fill the stadium. The Buccaneers went on to be regular post season participants between 1996 and 2001 before he was ultimately released from his position for again falling short of reaching the Superbowl. Dungy felt he had been mislead by the owner Joel Glazer who had offered him support earlier that season, but did not feel resentment. As always he took the decision with grace, and when others were expecting an angry reaction from him for this treatment, it is not what they got. To this day Dungy is thankful for the opportunity the Glazers gave to him in Tampa.
Dungy was not sure what was next after Tampa and contemplated leaving football. He was contacted by the Indianapolis Colts, whose owner Mr Irsay reached out to him personally and wanted to meet with him. During that meeting very little football was discussed and instead talks were all about faith, family and community. The two had lots in common, the contract was a formality as Irsay knew Dungy was the type of coach, and person, he wanted to lead his franchise. Dungy took the job in 2002, and inherited a very different team than he had inherited in Tampa. This team with Quarterback Peyton Manning was offensively strong and already potential Superbowl contenders. He maintained his core values of doing the simple things better than anyone else and after more years of falling short in the playoffs, finally lifted the Superbowl as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.
Dungy didn’t think football was his life’s work, and used his position as an NFL coach to advocate for black fathers, children and communities. He is active in promoting a Family First program called All Pro Dad, a program that provides education and resources to help fathers, and is also involved with All Pro Dad Breakfasts where children with absent fathers can bring mentors, uncles or grandfathers along for monthly breakfasts and sense of togetherness and community. Although his time commitments as an NFL head coach were significant, Dungy always made time for his own children, even manipulating his working week to get home to see them. Families and children were always welcomed around both the Buccaneers and Colts with staff encouraged to bring their family and work together, not keep them apart. When his staff had family problems Dungy expected them to take the appropriate time to deal with the problems and not prioritize football. With his wife, they were responsible for adopting many children over the years. They did this due to their belief that it was their responsibility to share their ability to provide, with these children. Late In 2005 Dungy lost his own son to suicide and this was a very emotional part of the book for him to discuss. In the space of five years he had lost both parents and now his son. His parents were easier to deal with, both had been sick, but losing a son is something no parent should have to deal with. Although difficult, Dungy used the loss of his son and his position to help other families who found themselves in a similar position. At one stage he felt that his credibility at All Pro Dad may have been impacted by what his son did, but quite the opposite. It had put him in a position to relate and help others even more, and he received many letters from grieving parents who shared similar experiences, and who were using the strength he was showing to help themselves.
The main strength of the book was that it moved along quickly. It absorbed the reader. Like any good book once you were half way through you didn’t want to put it down. There is a connection with Dungy that makes you want to follow his progress, and see where it leads. The book was not overloaded with football, and at no point does it feel like a football story. If it had, in all honesty, it would be nowhere near as interesting as it is. The book used each football season chronologically to tell his story as a timeline, but that is far as the football part went. The book was more about following your faith, dealing with adversity and treating people with respect than it was about having a 10-6 record with the Tampa in his second season. The narrative of the book was similar to the narrative of his profession, he uses Football to share a greater purpose with those he has the opportunity to interact with.
Another strength of the book was the significant role faith and Christianity held in Dungy’s life. It helped him make important decisions, and on several occasions Dungy explained how he would trust God to decide his purpose and his calling. Hearing that someone in his position can be successful whilst still staying strong to positive, ethical, supportive principles of being good to those around him was refreshing, when society is being led towards believing anything that can give you an advantage is acceptable. Dungy would ask what do you get if you gain the world but lose your sole?
There were very few negatives to the book and the two listed are certainly open to opinion. The first was the amount of names that were used during the book, the amount of people that were referenced. Whether it was college, during the drafts, playing early stages of NFL or then coaching. It was hard as a non-football fan to remember many or any of the names, and by the end impossible to remember if it was someone he had referenced earlier in the book. It may have been easier for a football fan who is more familiar with the names to follow. The second is the brief nature of the book, it was only 300 pages in length and could have been more. Once the reader was engaged there was a captive audience and many more pages could have been added with entire chapters on All Star Dad, the process of adopting African American children, and even his meetings with Tom Lamphere and Athletes in Action. All of which are valuable and once the reader was engaged would have been worthy of more attention.
The main implication on my life, from this book has to be reading about his son’s suicide. It was tough to read and emotional at times. Being a father of 5 year-old son and 3 year-old daughter it really hit home. Although Dungy spent time away from his family during his initial time in Indianapolis, he made every effort to bring his family and work together and be a good father. He allowed his own children, and the children of his colleagues into the work place, you would regularly see his son on the sideline of the games when he was younger. The one time his son being on the sideline was challenged Dungy did not back down. Family was his priority and he was proud of it. As head coach of a college soccer team myself, I have always felt it unprofessional to take my son to games with me. I have work to do and he shouldn’t be getting in the way. Reading this book has helped me realize that your son can never get in the way, and any job that is not accepting of your family is not worth keeping. Bringing family and work together should not only be accepted, it should be encouraged. I will certainly take that to my work place immediately for myself, and my staff, and cherish every moment I get to spend with my children.
Another impact on my profession is the notion of doing the simple things well. There was a quote of champions not scheming or fooling the opposition but instead doing all the basic things better than those around you. This can be translated onto the field in relation to fitness levels, team organization and defensive shape. It can also be taken into my profession as an administrator. It is not about scheming and fooling myself, or my staff, with gimmicks or sales lines, but doing the simple things better than anyone else in my position. The simple things like listening, responding to emails, dealing with questions, following up on inquiries and passing on information or making staff feel valued. An example of this was Mr. Rooney at the Kansas City Chiefs, who wrote a letter to all players as they left the organization thanking them for their service. That little extra can make a big difference.
References
Dungy, T. & Whitaker, N. (2008). Quiet Strength: the principles, practices and priorities of a winning life. Carol Stream, Ill. Tyndale House.