Reading CAN Be Fun!

This semester has made me do something that I haven't done since high school, read a book. I used to like reading as a kid, but when I got to junior high, I had a teacher that absolutely ruined reading for me. She gave us books that we all completely hated! That was when I decided that I didn't like reading anymore and that mentality carried on until this semester.

Then I took Content Area Literacy with Michelle Adler. She gave us an assignment over the semester to read a book for ninety minutes a week and blog about it. Wait, what? Read? For the whole semester?! Not exactly what I was hoping to do for the semester.

Lucky for me, I knew that my dad had "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy. I figured if I read at all, it should probably be that book. My dad had already read it and said it was a great combination of football and spirituality. Ok, I figured I could handle that.

As I started reading, I realized that I was really liking the book. There were some days that I would read more than I needed. I was actually enjoying reading! I blogged about it and realized that I kind of like to share my thoughts on stuff like this. I already had a blog, but this assignment made me use it more often.

I finished "Quiet Strength" and began reading "Through My Eyes" by Tim Tebow. I've been really interested in this book and wanted to start reading it almost as soon as I got it. I never thought that someday I'd be reading a book for my own pleasure. Oh how the times have changed.

The semester is over and I'm done with CAL. However, I'm not done reading. I'm still reading "Through My Eyes" and have actually asked for a couple books for Christmas. That's something I haven't done since I was a kid. This class has been good for me to open up to books again. I had completely shut them out until I found out I had to read for a grade.

Michelle, thank you for forcing us to read. It's been a great to get my nose back into a book and enjoy it. I definitely think you should continue this assignment for classes to come. Maybe more P.E. majors will open back up to reading!

Through My Eyes (Part 2)

This week I read for more than 90 minutes. I was on a plane headed back from the cruise and decided to keep reading. I won't cover it all, just because I read quite a bit, but I'll cover what I remember.

Tim Tebow grew up with 2 brothers and 2 sisters. For so long, he became very competitive with his brothers. They would play a lot of football, having one be the quarterback, one be the wide receiver, and one be the defender. They kept score based on scores and stops. This was how Tebow started to acquire that competitive nature that he is well known for.

Injuries were always a part of the game. One of the brothers, Peter, seemed to be injured the most. They would do a tackling drill in their room downstairs and on multiple occasions, there were bloody noses and bruises. Another time, the boys decided to play baseball with a basketball. Well, with on one swing, the bat ricocheted off of the basketball and right into Peter's face. Injuries just became part of the game for them.

Tebow's mom really wanted the kids to be homeschooled for a while. She felt like this would be a good chance for her and her husband to teach the kids manners and the value to life. So for a few years, the kids stayed at home to be taught by their mom. It was great for Tebow, because he was able to plan his workouts around his school work. His mom knew that the kids wanted to get out and play or workout, so those were the breaks that she gave them.

Tebow realized through his workouts that he had become significantly stronger. He was able to keep up with his brothers in workouts and he even won a bicep curl competition. Things were looking good for the youngest male Tebow.

Unfortunately, once Tebow got into school, he didn't always get the position he wanted in football. He started at quarterback in junior high and did great, but as he got to high school, his coaches tried him at running back, linebacker, fullback, and tight end. All Tebow wanted was to play quarterback, but decided that he must trust his coaches. One day, his coach came to the house to talk to his father about a position change and his father straight up told the coach that if that was the case, Tebow would be playing for a different team. That was what came out of it, too. Tebow's family moved to a different school so that Tebow could become a quarterback.

There was a lot of information that I got from my reading, but couldn't quite remember everything. I did find out a lot more about why Tebow is the way he is today. His parents supported him 100% and gave him the opportunities he needed to succeed. The Tebow family is very strong and supportive of each other.

Through My Eyes

I just started reading Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow. I chose this book for a couple reasons. Obviously, it's a book about sports so that already sparks my interest. More importantly, I'm very interested in Tebow's story. I've hear a lot of great things about his attitude, personality, and faith. He has made a name for himself in the football world and the Christian world.

I read this week for 90 minutes, all in one sitting.

Tebow starts his book at the Heisman award ceremony. He had an amazing season of football with the Florida Gators, throwing for over 2,500 yards, rushing for over 500 yards, and putting up 40 touchdowns. Two other big name quarterbacks were in the running, too. Those two were Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford. Unfortunately for Tebow, Bradford won the Heisman.

Tebow was born in the Phillippines. His parents had decided that God was calling them to do mission work in the Phillippines. Unexpectedly, Tebow's mother was with child. She already had four children and hadn't planned on another, but God had other plans. The doctor told Tebow's mother that he was a "mass of fetal tissue" and the only way for her to survive was to abort the baby. The family prayed about it and decided to keep the "mass."

Eight months later, a baby was born. Tim Tebow was a miracle baby, as the doctor stated. Right away, Mom and Dad knew that Tim was something special.

As Tebow grew up, he had a natural competitive nature. Growing up with two older brothers, Tebow wanted to be just like them. Baseball was Tebow's first sport. The boys would throw the ball around, pitch to each other, and work on their batting. By the time Tebow was old enough for T-ball, he didn't want to hit off of a tee. His coach ended up underhand pitching to Tebow.

Tebow couldn't understand why his coaches would always say stuff about having fun and doing everything to have fun. Tebow was so competitive already that he wanted to make sure his team won. As long as there was a score beign kept, Tebow wanted to win. Obviously, his competitive nature carried on through his life.

Mom and Dad always taught the kids to be humble. They would only talk about their achievements if someone asked about them. The parents also did a lot of teaching about the Bible. Tebow tried to get as much understanding as he could out of his parents. At the age of six years old, Tebow accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Talk about mature at a young age. I love Tebow for what he does, but knowing that he accepted Jesus at the age of six just blows my mind. I can already tell that I'm going to love this book.

Quiet Strength (Part 12)

This week I read for 90 minutes, all in one sitting.

This was the perfect scenario for Coach Dungy and the Colts. Heading into the AFC Championship, the Colts were facing their rival, the Patriots, who they beat during the regular season. Dungy knew that this game would be the toughest of them all. He knew that the Patriots would be prepared for the game and he knew that they seem to play better in the playoffs than in the regular season.

It was a David and Goliath story. Dungy read this passage of the Bible to his players. He wanted to establish a few points to them. He wanted them to know that this was their time to shine. He wanted them to know that they needed to keep doing what they've been doing. He wanted them to know that through the battle, they must finish the job when the opponent is down. This was the motivation given to the Colts for their big game.

Sure enough, the Patriots were ready. They came out hot and got a 21-6 lead at halftime. Dungy told them in the locker room that they needed to believe and play team football. Do the little things right. The players believed and Coach Dungy did, too. It was time to execute in the second half to take down the giant.

The Colts' defense stepped up in a tremendous way. The offense also started firing on all cylinders. The Colts took the Patriots out of their game and took over. With an interception by Tom Brady, the Colts had clinched a berth in the Super Bowl.

Excitement filled the town of Indianapolis. Their beloved Colts were headed to the Super Bowl to face Dungy's friend, Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears. This would be the year that an African American coach would win the Super Bowl.

Dungy gave the team the weekend off to relax and spend time with family. They were to fly to Miami on Monday to prepare for the big game. A few players gave their insight on playing in the Super Bowl and how to handle it all. After all, this was the biggest game of the year and the media would be going crazy.

The time had come. The Super Bowl was here. The Colts vs the Bears.

It had started raining in Miami before the game and rained throughout. Dungy doesn't mention a lot about the game in his book, but talks about his memories. As the game was coming to a close and Dungy knew that his team had a victory in hand, he started reminiscing about his journey. He thought back to playing college ball, playing in the NFL, coaching in different cities, marrying Lauren, having kids, losing his son, and finally reaching the Super Bowl. So much went through his head in those closing seconds and a gatorade bath brought him back to the game. The players were going crazy, along with most of the stadium.

The Colts had won a Super Bowl. The Lombardi Trophy was headed to Indianapolis. Dungy gave a lot of thanks to God in his post-game interview. He knew that God had given him strength and patience to reach where he is today. Dungy was filled with joy and couldn't resist shedding tears of happiness. It was a moment to remember.

I absolutely loved this book. It's great to read about the perspective of coaches and players in sports. I've always been a fan of Tony Dungy and had wanted to read this book for a while. I'm glad I finally got around to it. It's a great mix of sports and religion. Dungy shares a lot of his personal experiences that made him the man that he is today. I have great respect for Coach Dungy and wish him the best as he is now an NFL analyst.

Quiet Strength (Part 11)

This week I read for 90 minutes, all in one sitting.

A lot of the media had been saying that the Colts were about to have their window of opportunity close on them. Coach Tony Dungy felt differently about it. Dungy had a good feeling about the season ahead, and he was right.

In 2005, the Colts started out strong. Their offense started firing on all cylinders and set team records. They were winning big games and a lot of times by big margins. At 9-0, Dungy had a good feeling that this was the year that the Colts were going to win the Super Bowl.

Late one night, Dungy got a phone call. This isn't too rare, as Dungy will occasionally get a call about one of his players getting injured. This wasn't the case. Dungy's son, Jamie, had taken his life at the age of eighteen. There was no reason that Jamie had done this, but either way, was gone.

The Dungy family, trying to cope with their loss, started on arranging a funeral. They had it in Tampa Bay to make it easier for friends and family to make it. The ceremony was huge and people waited outside the church to give their condolences to the family. Dungy spoke at the ceremony, as well, but tried to make it more of a celebration of Jamie's life. He talked about all the good things Jamie had to offer to the world. His positive attitude was shared with everybody and tried to make friends with anyone who need one. Most importantly, Dungy spoke of how Jamie had accepted Christ at an early age. Dungy knew that Jamie would be going to heaven and that was the most important thing about him.

After the ceremony, Dungy and his wife, Laura, discussed how soon he should go back to work. They both agreed that Dungy should head back as soon as possible. For so long, Dungy had told his players that as hard as it may be, it's sometimes best to move on. It was now time for Dungy to practice what he had preached.

Dungy received a warm welcome from his team, along with a pile full of mail from supportive families and friends. It was a warm feeling to have others praying for him and his family.

Obviously, the season wasn't going to stop for Dungy, so it was time to keep preparing for the teams ahead. The Colts continued their winning streak and got to 13-0. With that, they earned home field advantage and a first round bye in the playoffs. Dungy then decided to rest his starters, so ended the season at 14-2.

Playoffs were around the corner and Dungy continued to preach about doing what they do best. Do the little things better than everyone else. The Steelers were first on the Colts' list. The game would be at home, but the Steelers would be looking for revenge after losing to the Colts in the regular season.

The Colts dug themselves into an early hole, but came back. In the fourth, the Colts were down 21-18 and the Steelers had the ball with about a minute to play. Dungy told the defense that if they wanted to win, the ball had to come loose. Sure enough, the defense popped the ball out of the Steelers' running backs hands and returned it to midfield. A miracle was about to happen. The Colts started running down the clock and got into field goal position. With the field goal, the Colts would send it into overtime. Unfortunately, Mike Vanderjagt missed and the Steelers won the game.

It was a miserable loss for the Colts, especially after such an unbelievable season. Dungy knew that the media would eat this up, but reassured his team that they would come back.

The next season rolled around and the Colts lost their top running back, Edgerrin James. Luckily, they had a good backup and had drafted a running back out of college, so they should recover. The team started at 9-0, but it was different than their 13-0 from the previous year. This year, the Colts were earning their wins on last drives and weren't blowing anybody out. Dungy actually liked this, as it made his team tough. They ended the season at 12-4.

The Colts made the playoffs and faced the Miami Dolphins in the first round. They won a touch, defensive game, 27-22. Their next game was against the Kansas City Chiefs, who had a tough running game in Larry Johnson. The Colts had the worst running defense in the NFL, but knew that this game would be different. Sure enough, the Colts held Johnson to thirteen carries for thirty-two yards. The game was won, 23-8. One more game until the AFC Championship, and that was against the Baltimore Ravens. This was another defensive game and midway through the fourth, the Colts were up 12-6. The Colts ran down the clock and put up one last field goal to seal the game.

The Colts had surprised a lot of people by making it this far, but knew that something special was happening. The Colts had won a lot of close, tough games, and were about to prepare for their rivals, the New England Patriots.

It's amazing how so much can happen in a season. Who would have thought that Dungy's son would have taken his life, especially after being such a positive kid? Dungy did handle the situation very well and showed that he was still trusting in God. He looked to God for help through the service, the rest of his games, and through time at home. He knew that everything would be difficult, but with God's help, he would manage to make it through. I applaud him keeping his composure through it all and being able to coach for the rest of the season. A lot of guys wouldn't be able to do it, but Dungy somehow managed. What a story to tell. The book is about finished and I can't wait to read the end, even though I know the end result.

Quiet Strength (Part 10)

This week I read for 90 minutes, all in one sitting.

As the 2004 season rolled around, Tony Dungy was excited to make a few more additions to the team. Bob Sanders, a safety from the University of Iowa, was drafted by the Colts in the second round of the NFL draft. The team needed a key player on defense and Dungy felt that Sanders would fill that role.

Sadly, after the draft, Dungy received word that his father had been put in the hospital. Dungy couldn't believe this because his dad would bike five miles to eat breakfast and then five miles back home. He would also visit the YMCA for a swim workout two days a week. Being put in the hospital just didn't make sense to Dungy.

Dungy's father was put in the hospital for leukemia. He was in the Indiana University School for Medicine, a world class oncology center. Fortunately, Dungy's father didn't experience any sort of side effects that the doctors had mentioned. For Dungy, this was a good time to spend with his father.

They spent the time reminiscing of old memories. Fishing, football games, old movies, and other past topics were brought up in their time together. Dungy was glad for the time he was able to spend with his dad. It was a time of thinking, too. Dungy realized that his father spent a lot of quality and quantity time with his sons. Being a coach in the NFL, Dungy wasn't always able to do that. He started to be more conscious of that and decided that it was time to pay more attention to his family.

Later on, Dungy's father was released from the hospital after the leukemia had gone into remission. It was a great day for Dungy, knowing that his dad would get a chance to see his son coach in the Super bowl. Unfortunately, a week later, Dungy's father passed away. An extremely low white blood cell count caused his immune system to become vulnerable and obtain an infection.

Dungy went back to the team after a hard loss. His players were very empathetic and shared their condolences.

As the season was about to start, Dungy kept on preaching about doing the little things right. He showed the team a movie, Death by Inches. The movie gives an illustration about how you can be so close to something, but not quite make it. Dungy wanted to make sure the guys knew that in order to make their goals, they have to do those little things right so that they don't fall short.

Dungy got in a little trouble with the media with a couple interviews. The first one was over a skit that was showed right before a Monday Night Football game. It was with Terrell Owens, the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, and an actress from Desperate Housewives. It was a sexual skit and Dungy felt there was no need for it before a family sport. He expressed his concern in an interview, but had a small comment about using an African American male. Male came pouring in over how he was a racist. Of course, this isn't the case for Dungy. He wanted to make the point that there's no need for that kind of junk on TV, especially around a football game.

The season was another great one as the Colts went 12-4 and won the AFC South Division. Peyton Manning was developing into an elite quarterback and had great weapons in Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Brandon Stokley. Once again, the season came to and end with a loss. The New England Patriots had dominated the game and went on the win the Super Bowl. Another learning experience for the Colts.

How hard would it be to lose your father and then go back to coach a group of men in a tough, emotional sport? Dungy must really love the sport, but more so his family. He mentioned that his dad would have wanted him to go back to his team, and he did. Dungy has concentrated on his family a lot, and I feel that in being an NFL coach, he has done well. He doesn't seem too satisfied with himself. It's great to see a true dad be so conscious of his family. I hope to become a father someday and I'm starting to mold a father type mentality around him. He's a great man to look up to and I think all fathers should learn from him.

Quiet Strength (Part 9)

This week I read for 90 minutes, all in one sitting.

After Dungy and the Colts lost to the Jets in the playoffs, there was some controversy among one of the players. Mike Vanderjagt, the kicker, made a few comment during the post-game interview. He criticized both the team and Dungy. Immediately, Dungy knew something had to be done.

The normal routine for something like would probably be to talk to the player, then make one of two options. A coach could keep the player, knowing that they're unhappy and could hurt the team, or the player could be released or traded. Dungy wanted to get rid of Vanderjagt as soon as possible. Dungy gave him a call and asked to meet with him immediately.

One of Dungy's sons, Jamie, is a very friendly kid. On his terms, anybody that gives him a small bit of positive attention could be a possible friend. Vanderjagt was apparently one of Jamie's friends. Once he heard that Dungy was meeting with Vanderjagt, Jamie had to talk to him.

"Why is everybody mad at Mike, Dad?"

"Because of what he said."

"Dad, you can't get rid of Mike. He's my friend."

"I can promise you this, Jamie. I won't do anything just because of what other people are saying or because of what's in the paper. I plan to bring him in here and talk to him. If I do decide to get rid of him, it will only be because the team needs it."

After the conversation, Dungy went into the office to do a little devotion time. He came across a parable about judgement. Dungy realized that he had judged Vanderjagt purely off of his interview. He knew that he should probably get his kicker's true feelings and decide where to go from there.

Dungy met with Vanderjagt and found out that the interview was purely from frustration from the loss. All Vanderjagt wanted to do was kick for the Colts. Dungy, out of the goodness of his heart, let him stay.

The season went underway and the Colts started hot at 4-0. For the fifth game, the Colts were up against the defending national champs, and Dungy's former team, the Bucs. The game was in Tampa and the fans gave him a standing ovation to start the game. It was a very emotional time for Dungy.

The game couldn't have been more dramatic. Being down by 21, the Colts stormed back in the second half to send the game into overtime and win with a clutch field goal by Vanderjagt.

The Colts continued to have more come-from-behind victories and made the playoffs. They dominated their first game against the Broncos, 41-10, then won a tough game on the road against the Chiefs, 38-31.

It came down to the AFC Championship, where the Colts would take on the Patriots. A quick lead put the Patriots ahead and they never looked back, taking the game 24-14.

Dungy had another program going in the right direction. Another season was as close as it could get to making the Super Bowl. The organization had their trust in Dungy and knew he would make even more progress.

I admire Dungy so much for his trust in God. Even though he thinks he has a final decision, God sends a message to him that completely turns him around. It's inspirational to see how obedient Dungy can be.

Quiet Strength (Part 8)

This week I read for 90 minutes, all in one sitting.

After Tony Dungy was fired, he started thinking about his future right away. He wondered if his time coaching for the NFL was over and if it was time to move on. The Bucs moved on pretty quickly, hiring Jon Gruden as their new head coach. Dungy received no calls.

Dungy decided that he would continue with his ministry. He and his friend started going to a local prison to witness to some of the inmates there. Dungy was shocked when he saw kids at sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen. He had that mindset where all the guys were older, tough, scraggly looking men. That definitely wasn't the case.

Dungy was able to connect with the guys pretty quickly. A lot of them followed football and read the Bible, so Dungy had a couple topics he could discuss with them. Some inmates would open up and tell Dungy about their hopes and dreams for when they get out of prison. To this day, inmates still send Dungy poems, drawings, and letters to express themselves.

One day, after returning home from the prison, Dungy received a voice message on his home phone. It was from the owner of the Colts. He wanted Dungy to come to Indianapolis to join the team as head coach. The voice message was fifteen minutes long and told Dungy all about the ideas and views that were wanted for the team. Dungy realized that maybe his coaching career wasn't over.

Almost at the same time, the Panthers called Dungy to see if he would come to North Carolina. Dungy evaluated both teams and found that both jobs were right up his alley. When it boiled down, Indianapolis seemed like the better fit for the Dungy family. Dungy was now the coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

For the first year in Indianapolis, the family decided to have two houses. They would keep the house in Tampa so that their daughter could finish high school and then a new house would be bought for Tony up in Indianapolis for the season. The family would reunite on gamedays and Tony would go home to Tampa as soon as the season was over.

The Colts went 10-6 during their first season. Nothing impressive happened during their first season, but they did reach the playoffs as a wild card team. They were to go to New York to face Herm Edwards' team, the Jets. Unfortunately, the Colts got blown out in a 41-0 trampling.

Dungy's former team, the Bucs, also made it to the playoffs. Dungy had no hard feelings towards his old team, so was rooting them through the post-season. The Bucs rolled through three games to make it to the Super Bowl. Tampa Bay was hopping and people were ecstatic for the top game of them all. Newspapers were headlining the game and some even went as far as to say "Thank goodness for Gruden finishing what Dungy couldn't." This was hurtful, but Dungy knew that God had a plan for him and his new team.

Gruden won the Super Bowl over the Raiders. Dungy was quite happy for the team and hoped that someday that could be him. Work was to be done and everything he believed was being stressed more and more to the players. "Continue to improve on the little things. It'll come together."

I found it interesting how the Dungy family went through their first year with Tony in Indianapolis. That would be hard to live without your family and only get to see them on the weekends. They must have a strong family, because Dungy didn't mention anything about him and his wife or him and the kids getting worried, concerned, depressed, or anything like that. My respect continues to build on Tony Dungy.

Quiet Strength (Part 7)

This week I read for 90 minutes, all at once.

As I have blogged before, you know that Tony Dungy has coached a few different teams. His schemes had come together through observing every former partner coach. The defense had really benefited from Dungy's observations. The Bucs had one of the top defenses in the NFL. They had limited the defending champions, the Rams, to only 11 points in their last game. The analysts thought that Dungy had created a new defense, when in reality, it was just a modified version of the Cover 2 zone coverage. Either way, the Bucs' defense had become tough.

Unfortunately for the Bucs, they couldn't seem to get over the hump. Reaching the playoffs for another two years, they didn't get past the first game. Rumors were being spread on if Dungy would keep his job, but Dungy wasn't worried about it. He knew that God had a plan for him and if he would do whatever God needed him to do.

While all of this was going on, Dungy's wife decided that she wanted to adopt. The Dungy's already had three kids, but Lauren felt like they were financially blessed enough to take care of another child. The Dungy's adopted a boy, Jordan, and took him home as the newest member of the Dungy family.

As time went along, Dungy found out that the rumors of his job being on the line was true. The owner invited Dungy to his house and told him that he was no longer the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a short conversation and Dungy left after about ten minutes.

The next day, Dungy went to his office to load up his stuff. It was time for Dungy to move on to the next step in his life. He gathered up his stuff and was escorted out of the stadium. His time in Tampa Bay was over.

That must be such a hard concept to take in. After going a few years of making the playoffs, Dungy had been fired. That would be so crappy. I understand that Dungy hadn't made the Super Bowl, but he was still successful and had made so much progress. The NFL is a rough business, from what I can tell. I can't imagine how hard it would be to go through all of it.

Quiet Strength (Part 6)

This week I read for 90 minutes, all in one sitting.

Tony Dungy is now in his second season as the Bucs' head coach. After his first season of a typical first season record, but full of positivity, Dungy is now ready to take on another season. The NFL draft rolled around and Dungy was focused on drafting a quality running back that could make big plays. For the longest time, one of the Bucs players kept saying that Warrick Dunn, the running back from Florida State, should be the pick for the Bucs. Dungy did his research and found Dunn to be a heck of a player and the perfect fit for their system. The draft came along and after a multi-team deal, trades flew around and Dunn landed in Tampa.

The season started and Dungy realized that his player was right. Dunn was the perfect fit for the Bucs and made a huge impact for the offense. The Bucs had a great year and for the first time in about 15 years, made the playoffs. The team did exactly what Dungy wanted them to accomplish, win games, impact the community and bring back Tampa Bay football. The team had ended the season with a 10-6 record, had the community excited for games and had games being sold out, once again.

The Bucs lost in the second round of the playoffs, but everyone knew that football in Tampa had changed. Dungy had led the team back to the playoffs and the future was bright. Unfortunately, the next season was everything but what Coach Dungy wanted. The team went 8-8 and missed the playoffs. They were a bipolar team full of great games and awful games. Inconsistency was their middle name.

The next year, Dungy got the team back on track and made the playoffs. The Bucs did so well that they even made the NFC Championship game. They were to face the Rams. One of the best teams was found in the Rams and all predictions were towards the Rams easily winning the game. Dungy knew that this would be a huge game and it would take a little extra motivation for the players. Dungy gave a speech at the beginning of the week on how the Rams were a hurricane and they were a tornado. A hurricane is strong and powerful, yet on the radar. A tornado is strong, as well, but is very unexpected. Dungy was right about this, as the press went through the whole week talking about the Rams.

The game came along and it was a defensive battle. It was a hard-fought game that ended with a Rams' victory, 11-6. Dungy couldn't believe how close he was to a Super Bowl, but still gave God praise.

I can't imagine how hard it would feel to go up and down like that from year to year. I know that in the NFL, every year is different, but it would be so frustrating to go from a promising year to a cruddy year. Dungy is still impressing me with his composure and motivation towards his players. I feel like I'm entering into his brain while reading this book, and I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

Quiet Strength (Part 5)

I read for another 90 minutes to be fully caught up. I read it all in one sitting.

Beginning his first season as a head coach in the NFL, Tony Dungy was ready to take on the challenges. It first began with the NFL draft. Dungy was ready to pick a group of guys that would be committed to a long-term run with the Bucs. He wanted guys that would represent the team well and put in as much effort as needed to improve the team.

The Bucs had their eyes set on an explosive running back from Texas A&M for their top pick. They had lined up a trade for him if he was still available for a pick ahead of them. Unfortunately, team decided to go down another route and pick someone else. The Bucs frantically made phone call after phone call and ended up drafting the next best back, Mike Alstott. The team was a little disappointed that they didn't get their main pick, but had to show that they were happy with Alstott. They also drafted Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks, who were two outstanding defensive players. It looked like the Bucs would have some talent coming into the new season.

As the pre-season began, Dungy emphasized to the team that they would have to work through many different circumstances if they wanted to win. Time changes would be a factor, along with injuries, new coaching strategies, different attitudes, and more. Dungy wanted to give them practices in many different environments and situations to make sure they were prepared for the season.

As the first game came along, Dungy and the team were very excited about getting their first taste of action. They opened up with Green Bay and got smashed. They continued their losing streak to 0-5, having blowouts and close losses.

Their next game was against Dungy's former team, the Minnesota Vikings, and Dungy expressed to the players that the game couldn't be a better one to have their first win. The Vikings had the best record in the league at 5-0 and Dungy knew the Viking's strategies from coaching there previously. The Bucs' dominated the game and earned their first loss.

The season went on and they were up and down through the rest of the year. They ended at 6-10, winning their last game against the Chicago Bears. The players dumped the gatorade container on Dungy after the win and were very pleased with the win. Dungy was interviewed after the game and was asked why the players poured gatorade on him, after going 6-10. Dungy said that this season was different than the previous losing seasons. They had made great improvements in their team and had a bright future ahead. The players knew that it was different with Dungy and were excited about what was to come.

I'm enjoying how Dungy is going about his coaching. He doesn't yell at the players when he's mad, but instead, gets quieter the more he wants to emphasize something. He respects the players as people and wants them to be respectable people, as well. Dungy had an incident with a couple players that pushed him to remind the team that their off-the-field attitude better be the same as their on-the-field attitude. They must give 100% for everything they do, even if it isn't about football. Dungy is a very respectable man that I strongly look up to.

Quiet Strength (Part 4)

I'll be honest, Michelle, I got a little behind on my reading. I'm catching up, though! I read for 90 minutes, all at once.

Tony Dungy has always been a man of strong faith. It's a good thing, too, because he definitely was put to the test during these next few years.

Dungy had been told by many people that he is head coach worthy. He had been told this by his mentor, wife, and other coaches around the NFL. Of course, Dungy wanted to be a head coach right away, but that wasn't the plan that God had for him.

Dungy coached at Minnesota for a long time, trying to be patient for a head coaching position to open up. Unfortunately, not many spots were available. When they were available, Dungy was normally invited to an interview. Unfortunately, the position wasn't given to Dungy.

Finally, after about eight years at Minnesota, Dungy was invited to an interview at Tampa Bay. Dungy had been keeping up with the media and it sounded like the position was going to one of two coaches, not including him. Dungy still wanted to take the time to interview and keep an open mind about it. Bad luck struck, however, and Dungy's glasses broke. He went to the interview having to tilt his head to keep his glasses on. Lucky for him, the president of the organization wore glasses and completely understood his problem. The interview went well and Dungy headed back to Minnesota. He told Lauren that they shouldn't expect anything good out of this.

A couple days later, Dungy received a call to go back to Tampa for a second interview. Dungy couldn't believe this and started having some hope. He went back and had another great interview. Going back to Minnesota, the president of the Bucs called Dungy asking for his agent's phone number. Asking why, the president wanted to start negotiating a contract. Dungy was closing the gap between him and the head coaching job at Tampa Bay.

Immediately, Dungy told Lauren about the exciting news. She made sure it was real and started getting really excited for the move, mainly to get out of the Minnesota cold. The couple went to Tampa one last time to have dinner with the president and a couple other members of the organization. Media was outside the building, knowing the the head coach was inside. Dungy signed the papers and was introduced as the new coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Right away, the family moved down to Tampa. Dungy had to get busy right away and try to come up with a coaching staff. As hard as it was, Dungy decided to start with a clean slate and let go of the whole staff. Interviews started up right away and Dungy knew who he wanted to coach with him. His main target was Herm Edwards, coach at the Kansas City Chiefs and long time friend. Edwards told Dungy that it sounded great, but not yet. He needed some time to figure some stuff out. Dungy gave him time and started hiring other coaches. He landed a few big names from across the league, but knew that his organization would be ecstatic with Edwards.

After a good portion of time trying to persuade Edwards to join the team, he gave in and became the assistant head coach. Dungy had high hopes for the season, having coaches with creativity, a winning attitude, and strong leadership. It was time to start up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dungy went through a lot to get to where he is today (or where he's at in the book). He has had a great support system around him and that is how he had the patience to wait for this head coaching position. He relies on God to unfold His plan for Dungy and tries to follow that plan as best he can. I do believe that Dungy's faith is a big reason for his success. He definitely deserves his success.

Quiet Strength (Part 3)

This week I read Quiet Strength for 90 minutes. I read for an hour one morning and thirty minutes that night.

Last time I left off, Tony Dungy had won the Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dungy started celebrating with some of his Steelers buddies when Dungy received notice that he had been traded. Dungy was on his way to San Francisco to join the 49ers. That season, the 49ers went 2-14. Dungy, again, was traded to the New York Giants. Unfortunately for Dungy, he was released at the end of training camp. As Dungy pondered on what his future may be, he decided to retire from playing in the National Football League.

Before Dungy left New York, one of his coaches came up to him and gave a pitch to start coaching. Not long after that talk, the giants called Dungy to be one of their coaches. At the same time, the Steelers had also offered Dungy a coaching deal. Having such a great relationship with the Steelers, Dungy decided to join the club and become the youngest coach in the NFL.

After moving back to Pittsburgh, the team chaplain called Dungy to speak at a local church. One of the Steelers' lineman, Ted Peterson, was originally supposed to speak, but was sick. Dungy accepted. That Sunday, he showed up to the church and explained the situation. The senior pastor decided to get to know Dungy during breakfast so he could give the congregation a little introduction for him. Dungy did well speaking and after the service, the senior pastor came up to him to tell how well he did. However, he also added that he wanted Dungy to meet a young lady from the congregation. Hesitant, Dungy declined and told him another time may better.

Time had gone by and the pastor continued to push for the meeting of this young lady. Finally, Dungy accepted. He went to her house to meet her and immediately, Dungy was exstatic. Lauren Harris was gorgeous and Dungy couldn't believe she was single. Dungy also met her parents while he was there. They chatted for a while, but shortly after, Harris had to go to a class. Dungy also had to leave for work. Dungy knew right away that there was something different about Harris and wanted to meet up again.

They started hanging out and getting to know each other more. As they progressed, Dungy knew she was the one and proposed. She said yes and they got married.

After their marriage, Dungy went through many different teams as a coach. He stayed at Pittsburgh for a while as the defensive coordinator, then to Cincinnati as the defensive backs coach, then to Kansas City as the defensive coordinator, then to Minnesota at the defensive coordinator. During this time, the Dungy's also had three kids.

Dungy had to make a lot of decisions for his family and for himself. Every time a new opportunity arose, Dungy went to the Lord for guidance. He faithfully prayed and felt that every decision that he made was the Lord's decision, as well. Dungy is definitely a great role model to me. He is a living example of what a Christian should be. This is why Tony Dungy is my favorite coach.

Quiet Strength (Part 2)

I'm continuing on my assignment of reading 90 minutes a week. I read all 90 minutes in one sitting this week and I continued reading Quiet Strength.

Last time I read, the NFL draft had just finished up and Tony Dungy had not been drafted by any team. He was devastated by this and wasn't sure where to go from there. Dungy had received calls from teams to play at a different position, but not as quarterback. He even received a call from the professional football league up in Canada to be quarterback. Dungy really wasn't sure what to do. He had dreamt for so long of becoming a quarterback in the NFL, but that dream seemed so far away. What made it harder for Dungy was that the CFL was offering Dungy about ten times more money to come play for them. After many long phone calls, Dungy decided to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dungy worked as hard as he could to make the team. He was first placed with the offensive unit at wide receiver. At that point, Pittsburgh already had a verteran group of wide receivers, so the coach moved him to the defensive side at safety. Dungy put in a lot of work to make the team, watching film, asking questions, and absorbing every bit of information he could from his coaches. As training camp and the preseason was over, Dungy had made the team. He even had a decent first year, making three interceptions. Then, his dream opened back up as the two top quarterbacks for the team were injured during a game. Dungy got the opportunity to play at quarterback, but played terribly. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble to lose the game, 27-10. Coach told him to keep his head up and work hard, but just as he started to get reacquainted with the quarterback position, he found out that their starting quarterback would be healthy enough to play and that he would be moved back to safety.

During Dungy's second season, he started to put on some muscle weight and was ready to make another statement for the year. Unfortunately, Dungy hit a road block as he became sick. He went to the doctor and found out that he had mononucleosis. Dungy missed three weeks of practice and started getting really frustrated. One day, Dungy's coach, Donnie Shell, came to visit Dungy to see how he was doing. As Dungy expressed his frustration, Shell reminded Dungy of his faith. Dungy thought about it and had realized that he was placing football first in his life, rather than God. After Shell had that talk with him, Dungy got back to placing God first. Miraculously, Dungy regained his health and was able to practice a week before the first preseason game. That season, Dungy lead the team in interceptions and was tied for tenth in the league. The Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl that year over the Cowboys.

I loved reading this because I can relate to it in so many ways. I have been to the point in my life where I have placed sports first. I know that's not right, but that's what has happened. I know that in my faith, I need to keep God as my number one priority and keep it that way. Dungy went through the exact same situation and struggled through his time. He went on to getting back to where he should be in his faith and have a sensational year. This is great inspiration to me and it's really cool to know that someone of his stature has gone through the same thing as me.

Quiet Strength

I'm taking a class this semester, Content Area Literacy, and we have to complete ninety minutes of reading per week. Each week, after I have completed my ninety minutes, I will blog a short response to what I have read.

I started reading the book Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy. Tony Dungy was a Super Bowl winning NFL coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Now, he's an analyst on NBC's Sunday night football pregame show.

I like the way that Dungy opens up the book. He says that he wants the book to be more about life, rather than football. Dungy has been a strong Christian man for the majority of his life and decided to share his experiences through this book. Personally, I love this because I've grown up in a Christian home and I love football. It's a win-win situation for me!

As Dungy opens, he opens with him returning to the Tampa Bay stadium to empty out his office. He was fired at Tampa Bay after six years with the team and is reminiscing on his career, so far. Dungy then moves on to give some background details. He grew up in Michigan with his very successful parents. His father, receiving a PhD at Michigan State, taught philosophy at Jackson Community College and his mother, receiving an MA in English at Michigan State, taught at a high school. He was one of four kids, all smart and athletic.

Moving on, Dungy was great in football and basketball in high school and hoped to play football at Michigan State someday. After some turmoil at the school and a great high school career, Dungy went on to the University of Minnesota to play quarterback. His collegiate career was also fantastic, becoming fourth all-time in total offense in the Big Ten, a two-time team MVP, and a captain during his senior year.

As the NFL draft came along, Dungy waited for that life-changing phone call that would forever change his future. He waited with another teammate, Mike Jones, who was also supposed to be drafted. Jones' call came along, but after waiting and waiting, the call never came. Once the draft was over, teams were trying to fill their roster spots for training camp and Dungy received a few calls, but none for quarterback. In Dungy's words, "I was crushed."

I like this book in the way that Dungy is very descriptive and very relatable. These first few chapters have been a lot of background and I'm waiting for Dungy to get into his deep topics. So far, this has been a good book.

I read for ninety minutes and I read it all in one sitting.