Tony Dungy
Quiet Strength: A Memoir (2007)
Author: Tony Dungy (with Nathan Whitaker)
Genre: Memoir (Lives in Context)
Book Summary:
"Keep doing the ordinary things better than anyone else. Be uncommon. Do what we do." Tony Dungy, the first African American coach to coach a Super Bowl winning team, the Indianapolis Colts, tells his life story. Coach Dungy begins with how his parents and their drive to be successful teachers affected his coaching style. He then goes into explaining how each event in his life; from playing two sports in high school, to playing football at the University of Minnesota, to becoming an NFL player for the Pittsburg Steelers affects how he coaches. The remainder of the book tells of his various coaching positions, beginning with his early days as the youngest coach in the NFL for the Steelers. We see his triumphant building of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the rejection of being released as their head coach. Then we see the same strategies used in building the Indianapolis Colts into the Champions of the NFL. Throughout the book Coach Dungy also makes strong statements of how his Christian faith affects his everyday life and his coaching. The reader also sees glimpses into the Dungy family life and the poignent death of his oldest son.
Geographical Setting: Michigan, Tampa, Forida, Indianapolis, Indiana
Time Period: 1960's to 2007
Appeal Characteristics:
One of the primary appeal characteristics in this non-fiction work is that the advice offered comes from a football coach's point of view; but this advice can apply to anyone's job or life situation. The book also has a strong Christian outlook which readers may find appealing. Coach Dungy does a excellent job of revealing the story of his life and made the football plays interesting to read (even for those who don't know or care much about the sport). The settings of Michigan, Tampa, Florida (especially One Buccaneer Place, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and the various stadiums are well described and give the reader a sense of being at a game or other event. The people in this book have many actual conversations which keeps the pace moving. Another appeal characteristic may be that Tony Dungy is an African-American. In the center of the book are several pages of photos of Tony Dungy and his family and teammates from early childhood through to the Super Bowl victory. This book was on the New York Times Best Seller List for 32 weeks and won the 2008 Essence Literary Awards-Inspirational Catagory.
Read-alikes: For another coaches perspective on building a winning team one might consider The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam. This is a biography of New England Patriot's coach Bill Belichick. The writing style is expressive. The reader will also gain insights into how the people who influenced this coach became an important part of the winning strategies set up by Belichick to build a team from nothing to Super Bowl Champions. Those looking for an inside look of the game of football from a player's point of view and how it affects life may be interested in the next two books. Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond by Tiki Barber is the story of the former running back for the New York Giants. Tiki tells his life story and gives people an inside look at the game of football. This book has a similar storyline and the quick pacing of Quiet Strength. The second book to provide an inside look at the game of football is Touchdown Alexander: My Story of Faith, Football, and Pursuing the Dream by Shaun Alexander (with Cecil Murphey). Shaun Alexander was the 2005 Most Valuable Player in the NFL. Here he tells his tells his life story, both the good and the bad. He also tells how his Christian faith is more important to him then football and that being a good role model for young men is more important then money. This book has a similar Christian message and the storyline of having strong family support is also similar to Tony Dungy's book. For those looking for a female perspective on the game of football and how it affects life, they might choose Don't Bet Against Me by Deanne Favre, wife of Brett Farve, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Deanne Farve tells her story of living with breast cancer and dealing with being a wife of a famous athlete. This book has the Christian faith appeal element as well as family pictures that might interest some. A final read-alike suggestion is How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches by Christian Klemesh. The author interviewed 34 famous coaches from different sports venues and got their insights on many different questions in life. This book has the same appeal element of advice from Tony Dungy's book (he is also interviewed for this book) and it is also a very quick paced book.
Red Flags: The strong Christian viewpoint may be a turn off for some readers.
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