Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Review

In this NY Times #1 Best Seller, Tony Dungy presents principles, practices and priorities of a winning life following Christ. Tony tells about overcoming racial discrimination and his life long challenge to put Christ first on his way to coaching the NFL Super Bowl Champion Colts. This is a great book with insights into dealing with major life challenges including focusing on God's purpose in your life, faith in God's will for his occupation, "sticking to his principles" (no smoking, drinking, or performance enhancing drugs), finding a Godly wife, overcoming bitterness from his firing as head coach, accepting the genetic defect of his 1st (of 3) adopted children, and the crushing suicide of his 19 year old (natural) son the year before his Super Bowl XLI Victory.
Tony came from a solid Christian, African-American family in Michigan. His dad was a Tuskegee ([...]) Army Air Corps officer flying in World War II, later earning a PhD to become a physiology professor at Jackson Community College ([...]). His dad taught him that you can't always control circumstances. However you can always control your attitude. Tony speaks very highly of his Mom a high school speech & Sunday School teacher who taught him many Bible stories before he could read and he came to know Christ as a young child. His siblings are all professionals with successful careers - Lauren as a physician, Linden a dentist, and Sherrilyn as a nurse.
Tony's problem with his temper is disclosed when he quit his high school football team, protesting that only he was selected captain over looking his black team mate who was elected co-captain. Tony gained insights into how the issue was resolved as he and the African-American team mates eventually rejoined the team and almost won the Michigan State High School Championship.
He was a star quarterback for U. of Minnesota with impressive Big-10 credentials but (probably in part to lack of any current NFL black quarterbacks) was undrafted in 1976. Eventually, as a defensive back, he led the '79 Super Bowl Steelers team in interceptions, and even saw some playing time as quarterback. Dungy points out he was the last person in the NFL to both intercept and throw an interception in the same game. In `81, Dungy was traded to "the worst NFL team (SF 49ers)." After his 3-year playing career ended, he soon became a coach for the Steelers. Tracing his coaching career with the Chiefs, Viking and Bucs, he shares fascinating insights into the demanding schedule for coaching, especially in the NFL, and wrestling with putting Christ first. Table 1 summarizes a typical NFL coach's work week.
Table 1
Dungy's Typical NFL Work Week

Mon 8 am - 10 pm Film Reviews: "our" last week films & next weeks opponents films
Tue 8 am - 10 pm Game Plan Day-
Wed 8 am - 9 pm 1st Practice Day - also review tapes of practice
Thurs 8 am - 8 pm Practice & Refine Game Plan
Fri 8 am - 1 pm Short "dress Rehearsal"
Sat ? "Walk Through" - Slow motion w/out pads; Home game go home relax before check into team hotel; or travel
Sun Game Day Long pregame meetings; meals; game, return travel if away game

It is helpful to note that the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators are similar to "vice-presidents" in the coaching hierarchy and higher in the pecking order than "position" (e.g. defensive backs) coaches as you review his football career in Table 2.

Table 2
Brief Summary of Dungy's Football Career
Year Team Comments
76 U of Minn Qbk; Big 10 4th Total Yds; Most TD passes
76-77 Steelers Undrafted - but made team as a safety
78-79 Steelers Super Bowl Champions; Team intercept Ldr; 10th in NFL
79-80 49ers "Traded from best to worst NFL Team"
80 NY Giants Traded by 49ers but Cut from Giants
80 U of Minn Volunteer Defensive Back Coach
81 Steelers Effectively Assistant to Head Coach Chuck Noll; went on to coach defense (age 25)
84 Steelers Promoted to Steelers' Defensive Coordinator (age 28)
89 K-City Chiefs After 5-11 Steelers Season, asked to step down as Def Coordinators; join Marty Shottenheimer as Def Backs Coach
92 Minn Vikings Defensive Coordinator (under Denny Green)
96 Tamp Bay-Bucs Head Coach-takes over a losing team (had 13 consecutive losing seasons!) on the verge of bankruptcy; '96 record 6-10; '97 lost NFC Playoff to G Bay (NFC Champs); 98 8-8; 99 lost NFC Championship; 00 Lost 1st playoff game
01-09 Indian.-Colts Fired by Bucs, became Head Coach; won Super Bowl after 2008-2009 season retired from coaching

You'll like Tony's humble, sometimes self-demeaning descriptions, insights and resolve. One example is his meeting his future wife, Lauren. After being the last-minute substitute Steeler speaker at St Stephen's Episcopal's (Pittsburgh) Father-Son breakfast, the Pastor insisted he meet a young lady in the church. His first "date" was breakfast & church and he relates, "I dropped her back at her house, and ... here's where Laruen's story diverges from mine. Since I'm the one telling the story, you'll hear my version first, and to be fair, I'll also give you her version - the wrong version. As I dropped her off, I said, "I'm headed back to training camp, and I'll be gone for the week, but if you wouldn't mind giving me your number, I'll call you, and maybe we can play tennis sometime." She heard - and swears to this day that I said "...give me your number, and maybe I'll call you, and we can play tennis sometime." I can only assume she was too nervous to have heard me correctly. Or maybe--and I'm sure this is not the case--I was too nervous to have articulated my request correctly."
Tony stresses the importance of sticking by your principles and therefore was disappointed himself when he accepted Mike Shula's resignation as offensive coordinator and saw this as undermining the team. Tony was under pressure from the team owner for losing a play off game, having a stout defense but weak offense. Tony felt Shula had done his job well, but circumstances (injuries, status of building the team through the draft, etc.) had hampered Shula Whereas Shula stepped up to maintain harmony, Tony later felt his accepting the resignation undermined much of the progress his coaching team had made with the Buccaneers.
Tony has something good to say about every major person he describes but also points out differences they have had. He points out his mistakes and stands he took (such as his unconditional support of his place kicker who had missed several key attempts, but whose mother was dying from cancer), even when consequences could have severely limited his career.
Extremely stressful times give an insight into a person's character. Some of these times Tony described include his being fired after the Bucs lost the first of the playoff games (although he'd been told he didn't have to win the Super Bowl to keep his job), the Bucs going on to win the super bowl the year after he was fired, deaths of his mother and father during the season, and his 19 year old (natural) son committing suicide just before Christmas with the Colts heading towards the playoffs. Dungy comes across as a flawed, but forgiven Christian committed to "walk the walk" to match his talk.
Dungy writes "I love coaching football, and winning a Super Bowl was a goal I've had for a long time. But it has never been my purpose in life. My purpose in life is simply to glorify God. We have to be careful that we don't let the pursuit of our life's goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose."

My husband is using this book and the accompanying Bible Study Book Quiet Strength: Mens Bible Study for his Men's Bible Study dealing with issues which include: Prejudice; Aligning My Goals to God's Goals; Finding a Godly Mate; Dealing with Unfair Dismissal; Not Letting Success Blind Me to God's Direction; Teen Suicide; Friendship is More Valuable than a Super Bowl Ring

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Feature

• ISBN13: 9781414318028
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Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Overview

2008 Retailer's Choice Award winner!
Tony Dungy's words and example have intrigued millions of people, particularly following his victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first for an African American coach. How is it possible for a coach—especially a football coach—to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without the screaming histrionics, the profanities, and the demand that the sport come before anything else? How is it possible for anyone to be successful without compromising faith and family? In this inspiring and reflective memoir, now updated with a new chapter, Coach Dungy tells the story of a life lived for God and family—and challenges us all to redefine our ideas of what it means to succeed.

The softcover edition of this #1 New York Times best-seller includes a new chapter! In it, Coach reflects on the 2007 football season and last year's successful hardcover release of Quiet Strength. Also features a foreword by Denzel Washington and a 16-page color-photo insert. Over 1 million in print!

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