Tony Dungy Quotes

I found that while life drags on when you're losing, it marches on when you're winning. ~ Tony Dungy

We have a number of difficulties facing our nation, but I believe fatherlessness is right at the top of the list. ~ Tony Dungy

When things get difficult it can be easy to complain. How you respond makes all the difference ~ Tony Dungy

Avoidance doesn't solve anything; it merely serves as a temporary salve. ~ Tony Dungy

Others first. Whatever your corporate mission, paint a clear and compelling picture that others can understand and embrace. State your mission in terms that appeal to your team's best instincts. Persuade and empower as if you are leading and mentoring volunteers. ~ Tony Dungy

The Lord has a plan. We always think the plans are A, B, C and D, and everything is going to be perfect for us and it may not be that way, but it's still his plan. ~ Tony Dungy

We talked about some of our experiences, focusing, hanging together down the stretch, important games. It's not necessarily who has the most talent but what team sticks together and executes their fundamentals the best. ~ Tony Dungy

When I was15 years old, I couldn't look at the NFL and look on TV and say, 'Boy, there's a head coach, African American. That's something I'd like to do.' ~ Tony Dungy

I learned it doesn't matter how you win. You play to your team's strength. ~ Tony Dungy

I was gratified by the way our players had approached each game throughout the season. They had remained focused on the task at hand, playing hard and smart week after week. We didn't have any turmoil or distractions. We went about our business as usual. To do that in a setting that often was anything but usual is a testament to the character of our players and coaches. Our process worked; we simply picked a bad year to only be very good. ~ Tony Dungy

Life is challenging. I wish I could tell you that you'll always be on top of the mountain, but the reality is that there are days when nothing will go right, when not only will you not be on top, you may not even be able to figure out which way is up. Do yourself a favor, and don't make it any harder than it has to be. In those moments, be careful how you speak to yourself; be careful how you think of yourself; be careful how you conduct yourself; be careful how you develop yourself. ~ Tony Dungy

We often can't see what God is doing in our lives, but God sees the whole picture and His plan for us clearly. ~ Tony Dungy

But there's no substitute for a full-time dad. Dads who are fully engaged with their kids overwhelmingly tend to produce children who believe in themselves and live full lives. ~ Tony Dungy

Stubbornness is a virtue if you are right. ~ Tony Dungy

If we do what we do without panicking, we can accomplish great things. ~ Tony Dungy

Once we had become locked in on a schedule, he (Coach Denny Green) often created a disruption (artificial adversity) to that schedule just to see how guys would respond. ~ Tony Dungy

When you're in a situation, you can complain about it, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do a lot of things. But how are you gonna make the situation better? ~ Tony Dungy

God's definition of success is really one of significance-the significant difference our lives can make in the lives of others. The significance doesn't show up in won-loss records, long resumes, or the trophies gathering dust on our mantels. It's found in the hearts and lives of those we've come across who are in some way better because of the way we lived. ~ Tony Dungy

We only wanted to pay significant sums to keep truly special players. ~ Tony Dungy

If you're a leader, people's lives should be better because of the influence you've had along the way. ~ Tony Dungy

Nothing is more deflating to morale than to have a poor outcome pinned on someone who doesn't deserve it. It lacks integrity and overvalues the outcome at the expense of the people as well as the process. ~ Tony Dungy

We spent our whole married life in the ultra-competitive world of professional football, Lauren and I had always tried to view it through God's eyes. As much fun as it was to be winning, we tried not to get caught up in it. We knew that our family life and our faith walk were more important. ~ Tony Dungy

We want to enjoy our families and the hype leading up to the game. ~ Tony Dungy

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 ~ Tony Dungy

Things will go wrong at times. You can't always control your attitude, approach, and response. You options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better ~ Tony Dungy

The Lord doesn't always take you in a straight line. He tests you sometimes. ~ Tony Dungy

All Pro Dad is an organization that started down in Tampa in 1997. And it was just a group of us who felt like we weren't doing as good a job as our fathers did in connecting with kids and being there and being involved in their lives, working and coaching and spending all the time we had to. We just felt badly. ~ Tony Dungy

Change isn't always bad; we should always be learning and improving. But the change I was seeing involved principles, not procedures. ~ Tony Dungy

Pain prompts us to change behavior that is destructive to ourselves or to others. Pain can be a highly effective instructor. ~ Tony Dungy

The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. VISION will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve excellence. Only VISION allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. VISION has no boundaries and knows no limits. Our VISION is what we become in life. ~ Tony Dungy

Coach Noll had always told me, Being stubborn is a virtue when you're right; it's only a character flaw when you're wrong. ~ Tony Dungy

It's just really making sure I am doing the best job I can do as a dad. I do think that is my No. 1 job. ~ Tony Dungy

I do not think being a coordinator is a requirement, but it does give you some advantages. You get used to working with half the team and you go through the game-planning and decision-making processes. ~ Tony Dungy

Nothing does more to lubricate the rough spots than a good dose of encouragement. ~ Tony Dungy

I got put into leadership roles very early in life from fifth grade, sixth grade. I always ended up being the quarterback or the leader of the sports teams, and it's kind of benefiting me now. ~ Tony Dungy

Football is a vocation and an opportunity for ministry. But it's not a life. ~ Tony Dungy

I just don't think you pass on a great quarterback if you have the opportunity. If need be, you can trade it away. ~ Tony Dungy

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. I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose. ~ Tony Dungy

God's loving plan to save sinners started with Jesus' death and resurrection. The influence God calls you to have for His Kingdom is very simple: just tell the world what He did for you. ~ Tony Dungy

People look at me and see a calm, cool guy on the sidelines and I want them to know that my Christian faith affects my coaching and everything I do. ~ Tony Dungy

If you want to make a difference in the lives of the people you lead, you must be willing to walk alongside them, to lift and encourage them, to share moments of understanding with them, and to spend time with them, not just shout down at them from on high. ~ Tony Dungy

The best leaders are following Christ. That's the best leader you can follow. ~ Tony Dungy

When I was younger I only read sports books. I loved the biographies that told how athletes developed. When I got into coaching, I did start to read more instructional books, but I was always more interested in the people behind the ideas. ~ Tony Dungy

Anyone who's a parent dreads that call in the middle of the night. I have four grown children and I still dread it. ~ Tony Dungy

At some point in life's journey, professionally and personally, we have to be able to trust our preparation. ~ Tony Dungy

I have yet to hear God's audible voice, although I have often felt led by God in more subtle ways. ~ Tony Dungy

When people criticize you, it's not always for your actions but for what you represent. If they're really criticizing you for your faith, it's important to maintain your focus and continue on the pathway that God has set before you, even in the midst of criticism. ~ Tony Dungy

Take a moment to think about your answer to this question: Am I prepared to have great success and not get any credit for it? ~ Tony Dungy

The great thing about integrity is that it is truly no respecter of position or wealth or race or gender. It is not determined by shifting circumstances, cultural dynamics, or what you've previously achieved. From the moment you are born, you - and you alone - determine whether you will be a person of integrity. Integrity does not come in degrees - low, medium, or high. You either have integrity or you do not. In ~ Tony Dungy

If I can't get the captains to respond appropriately and show the leadership I expect, how is anyone else going to respond? ~ Tony Dungy

For some reason the football coach of a major college program is seen as one of the leaders of the campus. And some way we have to let our young people know that that leader can look like anyone. ~ Tony Dungy

If you want to be an athlete, then getting good grades, going to college, and developing your intellectual skills are important. ~ Tony Dungy

What's important is not the uniform or the number, and it's not what team you play for or whether anyone else sees your value; it's who you are on the inside. And when you're in Christ, that's never going to change. ~ Tony Dungy

We wanted guys who had been productive in college, and we made it a point to pick performance over potential. ~ Tony Dungy

Other people were looking at my decision in terms of "retirement." I guess that's the right term - retirement - from the NFL, anyway, the only professional career I have ever known. However, I don't think that God ever wants us to retire from relevance or significance. We faced a twofold question: what is the best setting for me to continue to do God's work and how did this fit in with what was best for my family? ~ Tony Dungy

Winning would create greater potential for change than talk alone. ~ Tony Dungy

I think there are times when I believe God welcomes the circus into our lives to give us an opportunity to show that there's another way to live and respond to things. ~ Tony Dungy

Moving from desire to actually doing better is only achieved with self-discipline, and self-discipline only works effectively when you trust in Him to help. Amp up your self-discipline in the areas you need it most. ~ Tony Dungy

We're not hitting on all cylinders, defensively. When we're playing good, I'll let you know. ~ Tony Dungy

Lovie Smith and I are not only the first two African-Americans but Christian coaches showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way and we're more proud of that. ~ Tony Dungy

It's okay to wander. ~ Tony Dungy

As humans, we don't know what we should do. We don't have those instincts like God has given animals. We have to see to know where we are going. It is just a natural human emotion to look for people to emulate. ~ Tony Dungy

It's the journey that matters. Learning is more important than the test. Practice well, and the games will take care of themselves. ~ Tony Dungy

After twelve years as an NFL head coach - six with the Indianapolis Colts - I know that God has provided me with a significant platform that cannot be measured in sheer numbers alone. We are all role models to someone. Speaking to five thousand people is no more important than quietly teaching one. And as long as our hearts are right, God will honor both endeavors, accomplishing what He will in each setting. ~ Tony Dungy

The biggest thing you need to be successful with it is a quarterback who wants to be involved in the decision-making process and not just merely want to execute plays sent in to him. ~ Tony Dungy

You need togetherness because you don't always win, and you have got to hang though together ~ Tony Dungy

I had 10 to 12 close buddies who I played ball with all the way from elementary to high school. That is where I learned to compete. ~ Tony Dungy

Balance provides the chance for longevity. You can be a champion at work and at home. ~ Tony Dungy

The further I get away from coaching, the more I know I made the right decision. You almost forget how wonderful family life is. ~ Tony Dungy

First, there is no typical grief cycle, and second, it's not something I went through. I'm still grieving. ~ Tony Dungy

Courage is the ability to do the right thing, all the time, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it might be. ~ Tony Dungy

It's about the journey
mine and yours
and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better. ~ Tony Dungy

To bring myself back to a perspective of all that I am in Christ - not according to the world. I need it to remind myself that the world doesn't define me. I am defined by my relationship with Jesus Christ. ~ Tony Dungy

Hard work and togetherness. They go hand in hand. You need the hard work because it's such a tough atmosphere ... to win week in and week out. You need togetherness because you don't always win, and you gotta hang though together. ~ Tony Dungy

This was the fourth time Lauren and I had seriously contemplated whether being a head coach in the National Football League was where the Lord wanted me to be. I was certain after I had been fired by the Bucs in 2001 that God was moving me and my family into a different role, but He had other plans. We evaluated our options again after the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Colts, each time concluding that coaching the Colts was God's will for me. ~ Tony Dungy

I've always talked to players about perception and reality. I don't worry about perception. There may be some of that, that people want to attach to a good name, but the reality is that some good things can happen. ~ Tony Dungy

You may not win the Super Bowl. Your kids may not go on to be doctors and lawyers and everything may not go perfectly. That doesn't mean it was a bad plan or the wrong thing. It's just like a football season. Everything's not going to go perfect. ~ Tony Dungy

You should never be defined by what you do, by the things you have; you've got to define yourself by who you are and who you impact and how you impact people. And that's the thing I try to get across to my players. ~ Tony Dungy

Your life has been intentionally designed by God to have a uniquely significant and eternal impact on the world around you. ~ Tony Dungy

Everything's not going to go perfect. You're going to have some losses that you're going to have to bounce back from and some things that are a little unforeseen that you're going to have to deal with. ~ Tony Dungy

Integrity is what you do when no one is watching; its doing the right thing all the time, even when it may work to your disadvantage. ~ Tony Dungy

What will people remember us for? Are other people's lives better because we lived? Did we make a difference? Did we use to the fullest the gifts and abilities God gave us? Did we give our best effort, and did we do it for the right reasons? ~ Tony Dungy

The best solution for falling just short of the goal is to focus on the fundamentals but perform them better. ~ Tony Dungy

My heart's toward youth ministry, but I don't know. I never would have thought I would have written a book. And God kind of directed that. So we'll see what the next is. ~ Tony Dungy

That's the key to defending any quarterback: to make them throw before they want to throw. ~ Tony Dungy

There are certain bridges that are not worth crossing, no matter what others think. Loyalty and relationships are important. ~ Tony Dungy

A good leader gets people to follow him because they want to, not because he makes them. ~ Tony Dungy

Respect isn't a right. We aren't entitled to it, and we can never earn it by demanding it. It's something we earn because of our character - and by giving it to others. If we want to be respected, we have to show ourselves to be worthy of it, not by our status, possessions, or accomplishments, but by honesty, integrity, and responsibility. ~ Tony Dungy

At the end of the day, the only people a One Voice doctrine silences are those who should be the most loyal. ~ Tony Dungy

If we have trouble hearing Him, He will faithfully work in our lives until we are pointed in the direction He wants us to go. ~ Tony Dungy

Engage, educate, equip, encourage, empower, energize, and elevate. Those are the methods for maximizing the potential of any individual, team, organization, or institution for ultimate success and significance. Those are the methods of a mentor leader. ~ Tony Dungy

My parents had a strong impact on who I am today. My mother and dad both encouraged us to think about the long term - where you wanted to be - to think about education, to think about what is right and what is wrong, and to do things that will help you in the long run. ~ Tony Dungy

We have a whole generation of men who don't understand how much they mean to their kids. ~ Tony Dungy

I just think winners win. And guys who won all the way through high school and college, the best player at every level, they have a way of making things happen and winning games. ~ Tony Dungy

As a young kid, I had a great background. My grandfather was a minister; I have two uncles that were ministers, and so I had that spiritual background. I accepted Christ early as a kid. ~ Tony Dungy

But I know I have a son who doesn't listen to anything I say and if he hears the same thing from someone else, sometimes it has a little more impact. ~ Tony Dungy

I know when I was an assistant coach and I started interviewing for head coaching jobs, I actually lost out on many jobs, several jobs, and the complaint that I got was, 'Well, he doesn't fit the mold of a head coach. He doesn't look the part. He's not gonna jump up and down. He's not going to scream.' ~ Tony Dungy

When I played at Minnesota, Green Bay, those northern cities, Buffalo, they wanted to have those championship games at home. It was going to be an advantage to be there with their fans and the cold weather and all that. But when you've got a Super Bowl, and it's the two best teams, you want ideal conditions. You want to play a great game. ~ Tony Dungy

Don't shed any tears for me. I got to live a dream most people don't get to live. ~ Tony Dungy

The truth is that most people have a better chance to be uncommon by effort than by natural gifts. Anyone could give that effort in his or her chosen endeavor, but the typical person doesn't, choosing to do only enough to get by. ~ Tony Dungy