February 7. Tony Dungy. On this date in 2007, Tony became the first Black head coach to win the Super Bowl: the Indianapolis Colts versus the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
The same year, Tony released his memoir: Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life, and it reached number one on the hardcover nonfiction section of the New York Times Best Seller list. Today’s story gives us a look at some of Tony’s priority-setting.
Learning to put God first starts with a decision but takes a lifetime.
When Tony first started playing in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was young and ready to win, but he had a problem keeping his cool.
When he was in school, he was known for losing his temper, and on the basketball court, he earned technical fouls.
His dad scolded him about it, but Tony brushed it off. Venting helped him focus. But when he was vying for a permanent place on the Steelers’ roster, things started to change.
The change started with the Steelers’ Bible study.
Tony believed in God, and he knew he was a Christian. But until he went to the Bible study, he never realized he wasn’t putting God first in all that he did.
His teammates were often known for being the biggest and toughest guys around. So when Tony saw them praying together and studying the Word, he realized their faith wasn’t weakness, but true strength. Strength they drew from God. He wanted to be strong in the faith like that too.
Tony made the team, but during his second season, he got sick with mononucleosis. And he wasn’t allowed to take the field until his white-blood-cell count normalized.
Three weeks passed, and he still wasn’t up to par, nor was he allowed to practice with the rest of the team during their pre-season camp. Tony felt his old temper and frustrations coming back. His inability to train and condition could leave his spot on the team open for anyone to take. He told Donnie, one of the Christians on the team, about how he felt. “This is just not going according to plan,” Tony said.
Donnie understood Tony’s frustrations but helped him put the situation in perspective. “You profess to be a Christian, and you tell everybody that God has first place in your life. Now, when your career looks like it’s teetering, we’re getting a chance to see what really is in first place for you.”
Tony agreed. He had been learning about how to put God first more and trust Him. “I’m trying to understand what you guys have. But all of a sudden, I come to a crisis point, and I begin to panic. My thoughts turn to: ‘What am I going to do?’”
Donnie’s answer was clear. “All the Lord is trying to do is find out what’s in first place in your life, and right now, it looks like football is.”
What Donnie said made an impact on Tony. Donnie was telling it straight. Tony knew he needed to change more.
Football was something God allowed him to do, but it didn’t have to define him. His identity needed to be in God. Tony made a decision right then and there to keep God first no matter what happened. Whether he was benched, healed, or cut from the team, God would still be number one.
Two weeks passed, and Tony got better, just in time for the first pre-season game. He was able to return to practice with his team. The Steelers that year won fourteen games and lost two and later won the Super Bowl against Dallas with a score of 35–31.
Tony led the team in interceptions and tied in tenth place in the entire NFL. But despite his success as a player and later on as a coach, Tony never forgot the most important achievement of his life: learning to put God first.
When he was eventually traded and then saw his career on the verge of collapse, he knew from experience that as long as he kept God first, God would handle things. The door shut on his playing football, but an even bigger door opened for him to become one of the most famous coaches of all time.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33 NIV).
What might be holding you back from putting God first in your life? Learning to put God first starts with a decision but takes a lifetime.
Dungy, Tony, and Nathan Whitaker. Quiet Strength: A Memoir. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2007.
“TONY DUNGY, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AND TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS.” Accessed September 26, 2020. PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME. https://www.profootballhof.com/players/tony-dungy/.
Story read by Chuck Stecker