Quiet Strength by Nathan Whitaker, Tony Dungy (2007, Hardcover)

The head coach of the NFL Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy has written an incredibly touching biography. For years Dungy and Lovie Smith (coach of the Chicago Bears and good friend of Tony) were considered “too soft’ to be effective leaders. They were also regarded to be two of the finest individuals associated with professional sports: both have genuine character, are humble, give thanks to God instead of themselves, and have a strong sense of family. The players on the Colts feel that kind of closeness to Dungy: a family spirit. Imagine the difficulty of uniting and motivating 44 of the toughest men on the planet into a common goal without resorting to strong-arm tactics that players are more accustomed to.

Tony’s book is a testament to making life a ‘family moment.’ Achievement shouldn’t have to be made at a sacrifice to the achiever’s soul. There are many real life lessons in Tony’s biography, but this book is much more than that. They detail how to deal with issues with maturity, humility and thoughts of others first. Does it work? Well, he just won the Super Bowl with that philosophy, and believe me, 100’s of sportswriters woke up the next day with stale egg on their face.

Dungy agonized whether to put the heartbreaking story of his son in the book, but finally relinquished to help others who have to somehow come to terms with family tragedies. I've grown so weary of endless sport exposes’ that emphasizes the negative. That is one of the delights I had when reading this book- the absence of sports self-glorification in the Dungy story. This is far from being your average sports tell-all.

Despite the disrespect by the Tampa Bay Bucs, despite losing his son, despite taking criticism for being too easy on his players and despite being misunderstood by the sports media, Tony Dungy has emerged positively. 10 years from now his players will glowingly talk about the influence of Coach on their lives. Until then, when the final vindication comes for his selfless efforts, this book: “Quiet Strength” will serve as a monument to old-school values and some of the wonderful results they can bring.

Jeff Feezle of Macafeez