Super Bowl Coach Dungy Emphasizes God as Priority in Memoir
Famed for winning this year's Super Bowl XLI "the Lord's way," Coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts unveiled his personal memoir on Tuesday, revealing the deep faith behind his life.
Titled Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life, the biography is a way to show where our priorities in life should be and the focus we need to have on God.
Dungy decided to write the book in reaction to the millions of fans who have wondered about his past.
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"Writing a book is something that I never intended to do," explained the pro-football coach in a statement. "However, after winning the Super Bowl, I heard from so many people who were excited about our victory. I wanted to tell each one of them that it wasn't the victory, but the journey, and the lessons learned along that journey that really matter. And the biggest lesson I learned was that God's hand is not only in the victories, but in the disappointments as well. It is my prayer that reading my story will cause people to stop and examine what's really important in life."
Surprising to some fans, the book does not emphasize the winning coach's career in the NFL. Instead, he delves deep into his personal faith, so he can show that football itself is not life. There is something more important than just sports.
"I really wanted to show people you can win all kinds of ways," explained the Colts head in his memoir. "For your faith to be more important than your job, for your family to be more important than that job … we all know that's the way it should be … I'm not afraid to say it."
Praised for being the first African-American coach to win the "big game," the Christian sports guru has continually pointed towards God in everything he does. From his attitude on the sidelines to the way he treats his players, everything had been built upon a firm Christian foundation.
Many critics have taken note of the man's demeanor, and their reviews positively reflect what has been shown.
"The first thing I wanted to do after reading Tony Dungy's new book, Quiet Strength, was renounce my membership in the human race," wrote reviewer Bob Kravitz in the Indianapolis Star. "Because after 301 pages of reading about this man's salutary life – c'mon, Tony, not one night of drunken debauchery, even in college? – I am convinced I'm unworthy of sharing the same air supply as this man."
As an important aspect of the book, the Super Bowl coach hopes to encourage people to redefine their ideas of what it means to succeed. Following a life devoted to God and family is where people will find true fulfillment.
Dungy is currently on a ten-day book tour, which started on Monday, to promote the biography. He made an appearance on Tuesday on Good Morning America and will be featured on Wednesday's The Tonight Show.
Also included in the memoir is a foreword written by Denzel Washington and a 16-page color photo insert.
"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," said Dungy, according to the Associated Press. "Life is more than just jobs. It's more than just football and winning. It's filled with family and relationships."
