|  | Resources | No.53 May 2008 |
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Book Information Laura Damico & Peggy Kellers |
Tony Dungy Quiet Strength Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; July 2007 ISBN-13: 978-1414318011 301 pages $26.99 Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, lives his life according to Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Through all his ups and downs in his professional and personal life, Coach Dungy has always had faith in God’s plan. Dungy’s actions have certainly led him down a successful path. The first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl shares his life experiences and coaching insights in this memoir. Quiet Strength chronicles Coach Dungy’s life, from a child growing up in Michigan, to a National Football League player, to a successful head coach who has experienced many of the same things people do in everyday life. Coach Dungy attributes who he is and why he thinks the way he does to his parents. From his parents, he learned valuable life lessons that he still uses in his coaching philosophy today, including teaching, circumstances, and faith. As his dad told him, “a good teacher doesn’t just teach the ‘A’ students. A good teacher is one who helps everybody earn an ‘A’.” His father believed that students have different ways of learning and connecting, and it’s the teacher’s job to make sure they are all doing so. Coach Dungy’s emphasis in helping players learn is to teach and communicate in a way that makes sense for each player. Another principle he stresses to his players is that you cannot always control circumstances, but you can always control your attitude, approach, and response. Coach Dungy faced many situations in life where he has put these principles to good use to learn from each situation. According to Coach Dungy, your options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better and this is a lesson he reminds his players frequently. The most important lesson he learned from his parents was faith. He relies on God often, especially during tough situations throughout his life. Coach Dungy served as an assistant coach for three NFL teams before becoming a head coach for Tampa and then Indianapolis in 2002. Before connecting with his players they first had to buy into system and philosophy and once he gained player’s acceptance, unity and success soon followed. Dungy’s philosophy emphasises the need to do the fundamental and ordinary things better than anyone else. He keeps his team focused on things within their control and teaches players to cope with unexpected situations. Coach Dungy’s leadership and communication style differs from the stereotypical football coach in that he does not yell at his players. Rather, he whispers when he gets really angry and former players have told him that his encouraging and reassuring coaching style allowed them to relax and focus on the game. The victories he enjoyed with the Colts led him to the biggest game of all, the 2007 Super Bowl. His accounts of the Super Bowl allow the reader to get a feel for how exhilarating and special a game it was. Coach Dungy cherishes the historical significance of that game in which an African American was the winning head coach. The Colt’s win in the Super Bowl made it possible for Coach Dungy to step in to the spotlight and become an even more active role model for young African American men. This book chronicles the early history of Coach Dungy’s life and professional career. The personal stories of his childhood, meeting his wife and starting a family are very interesting and help the reader to build an understanding of his coaching philososphy. Particularly moving is the section where Coach Dungy opens up about his son’s untimely death. Everyone could benefit from reading Quiet Strength and coaches would find many valuable insights. Coach Dungy is the type of man and coach that people want to know and associate with. His assets include a strong knowledge of his sport, respect for his players, and a leadership ability that unites all types of people. His insights and memoirs are motivating and inspiring and makes one even wish he was your coach. Contact: Laura Damico James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA Peggy Kellers James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA Email: kellerpx@jmu.edu http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 Book Review Quiet Strength Laura Damico & Peggy Kellers