Indianapolis Colts’ coach Tony Dungy announced his retirement this week. A bummer for the NFL, as there is undoubtedly no other coach in the league who is respected more by his peers and players. Dungy easily topped a survey by Sporting News earlier this year that asked current NFL players which coach they would most like to play for.
Dungy led the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl victory on February 4, 2007, the first such win for an African American coach.
In 2006, I had the opportunity to interview Coach Dungy for a video resource we produced for at-risk youth after the ill-fated suicide of his son, James. He is a man who has experienced the highs and lows of life. And he has remained faithful in his witness to Jesus Christ.
Here are six things I believe separate Tony Dungy as a person, and contribute to his tremendous influence on and off the field:
1. His Composure:
Dungy has his own style of coaching built on patient instruction rather than in-your-face screaming. Dungy seldom raises his voice, yet his record proves that he gets his point across. You never see him screaming, yelling, cussing, or throwing tirades on the sideline.
2. His Consistency
“He has consistency in his life,” said Atlanta general manager Rich McKay who worked with Dungy in Tampa Bay. “He is more impressive the more you know him.” Dungy is the first coach to reach the NFL playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons. He is the only coach to win at least 12 games in six consecutive seasons. And he is just as consistent living out his faith as he is at coaching.
3. His Communication Skills
Tom Moore, the Colts offensive coordinator, has known Dungy since he was a teenager. Moore was on the coaching staff at the University of Minnesota and recruited Dungy out of high school. Moore also was Dungy’s quarterback coach with the Gophers. “Tony hasn’t changed a lick, really,” Moore says. “As a player, he was the 1973 Peyton Manning. Smart. Prepared. A great communicator. He’s a great football coach in the same way.” Quite simply, Dungy talks to people like they are… well, people. What a brilliant concept!
4. His Priorities
“No excuses, no explanations,” wrote Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks, in the forward to Dungy’s book Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life. “I first heard coach Dungy say these words in 1996, when he explained how we were going to turn the Bucs’ franchise around. But coach challenged us to be more than just a winning football team. He wanted us to be winners in life—and he led by example.” He is a man deeply committed to his faith in Christ, who puts God first and family second and football third. “His NFL legacy will be that he won football games the right way,” wrote Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star. “He won them while maintaining his humanity. He won them while insisting his players connected with their community.”
5. His Genuineness
It’s been noted that Dungy knew everybody’s name, whether you were the equipment guy or the left tackle. He’s a person who cares about everybody’s story, who is genuine to those who are essential to his life and those who are not. I felt that same measure of value when I met him two years ago.
6. His Humility
In an arena where egos plague sports culture and athlete-scandals dominate the headlines like Brangelina photos at a tabloid convention, Dungy sticks out like a man from a different cosmos altogether. He is clearly a different breed. A man who defies the amoral litmus that brands so many sports icons and Hollywood celebrities. He isn’t proud, arrogant, or egotistical. He is a man of unambiguous humility. Bernard Baily said, “When science discovers the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it.” For Dungy, he understands his place in this world. He knows WHO is at the center – and he spends his life yielding to the ONE who is at the center. We would all do well to discover our rightful place in this universe – know that we are not at the center, and yield to the ONE who is.
That, in my estimation, is Dungy’s Quiet Strength.