Monday, February 05, 2007

Why Dungy is Different

Tony Dungy coached the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win last night. He was the first black coach to win a Super Bowl. But one thing that really sets him apart is not the level of melanin in his skin, but the attitude he has as a coach. He is known as an encourager, a guy who respects his players and treats them like grown men. Speaking about the victory, he said

"I'm proud to be the first African-American coach to win this," Dungy said during the trophy ceremony. "But again, more than anything, Lovie Smith and I are not only African-American but also Christian coaches, showing you can do it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that."

It sounds to me like his attitude comes from his faith. This to me says more than "I want to thank Jesus for helping me win." Dungy didn't offer any tripe, and he was straight to the point. He was proud that they had succeeded by not following the scream-and-yell-and-berate coaching model, but through encouragement, support, and respect for his players as men.

1 comment:

Steve and Katrina said...

I have a lot of respect for Coach Dungy. The people here in Indiana love him. He is a real sincere man from everything that I can tell and his faith is a very important part of who he is. He went to church in Indy the day of the AFC championship game and it drew a lot of attention because here he was at church 6 hours before kickoff of the biggest (at that time) game of the year.