I was down in Chicago last January taking my history course at North Park Theological Seminary. This was around Super Bowl time and the Bears and the Colts were all over the Chicago Tribune. It was a match up between good friends: coaches Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy. Their Christian faith leaked out between the lines and then in a big way the day after the Super Bowl with a full page advertisement in USA Today. Both coaches gave glory to God and witnessed to the centrality of Christ in their lives above football. So when Tony Dungy’s autobiography came out, “Quiet Strength – The Priciples, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life,“ I had to buy it and read it. I read it this week.
Tony writes like the man he is: matter-of-fact, honest, and sincere. There is nothing glamorous of the prose. His story is a testimony on how God shapes a person through family, mentors, failure, opportunity, faith and adversity. He was a last ditch draft pick out of Minnesota; lost in many playoffs; fired by the Bucs; and lost a son to suicide. Tony is a good example of trusting God when the way seems to dead end. If I was a player in the NFL I would want to play under his leadership.
On the first day of training camp the year he won the Super Bowl he said this to his team:
“I talked about what we had done in 2005 – things we had done well and areas where we could improve. Then I gave them a copy of an article I had read in the Houston Chronicle. They had often heard me paraphrase Matthew 26:16, my favorite Bible verse: “What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul?” To me, one of the implications of that verse is that Christ promises us eternal life but also a life that’s more abundant here and now. But according to the Houston Chronicle article, many NFL players weren’t finding that abundant life as evidenced by the following statistics:
- Sixty-five percent of NFL players leave the game with permanent injuries.
- Twenty-five percent of NFL players report financial difficulties within the first year of retirement.
- Fifty percent of failed NFL marriages occur in the first year after retirement.
- Seventy-eight percent of NFL players are unemployed, bankrupt, or divorced within two years of retirement.
- The suicide rate for retired NFL players is six times greater than the national average.
“Guys, please keep this in mind: football is a temporary job. We are going to do everything we can to win, but we’re not going to ruin the rest of our lives over football.” (pp. 272-273)
”Quiet Strength” is a book that made me reflect on my family, fathering and faith. It would be a good Christmas gift to the sports fans in your life. I highly recommend it!
