"Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy

256 pages

In 2007, Tony Dungy became a household name after he became the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl. In a league of angry, hotheaded coaches, Dungy's quiet demeanor stood out almost as much as his skin color. Though he had often been accused of being too soft, in winning the Super Bowl he showed that his calmer approach could get the job done. In this memoir, Dungy shares the story of his rise to the top, including the Christian faith that defines his life, the winning philosophy and strategies he has developed, and the people who helped him make his way.

I've always been a casual fan of Dungy's because to me he seems humble and sincere in his faith (unlike some other NFL stars..*cough* Tebow *cough*). The Dungy presented in Quiet Strength is consistent with my previous impression. I like Dungy even more after learning more about him. He is proud of his accomplishments, but he gives all the credit for them to God, his parents, and his wife. On the other hand, I thought he could be a bit preachy at times--it got kind of repetitive. He talks a lot about following God's will but doesn't offer much in the way of practical ways to do that. However, I will say that humble preachy is about 100 times better than self-righteous preachy, and Dungy comes across as sincerely humble. Also, from a simple biographical standpoint, I was interested in his story and the inner workings of the NFL so I enjoyed the story itself. In sum, I don't think I got as much personal inspiration out of it as I expected to, but I did enjoy reading the book and learning more about Dungy's interesting life.

P.S. I'm mostly joking with the Tebow comment and don't mean to offend any of his fans. I am certainly in no place to judge his sincerity, and I'm sure he's a good Christian. I have nothing against him, but I'm not his biggest fan because something about him rubs me the wrong way...