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141 of 148 found the following review helpful:
C. Van Wagner Jul 12, 2007
By C. Van Wagner
This book proved to be much more than I'd expected. I've read the books of many famous personalities (in and out of sports), and I can honestly say that Coach Dungy breaks all the stereotypes. When he's at the top of his game, he gives the glory to God, his family and his team. When he's in the worst places of life, he praises God for His goodness. When he's searching for answers, he chooses to lean on God for direction. He consistently lives a life of integrity, sacrifice and service.....and allows the glory to go to the One who deserves it, not to himself. Wouldn't it be great if all of our professional sports figures conducted themselves in a similar way? Though I've never been a Colts fan, this book and the various interviews I've recetnly seen with Coach Dungy have won me over. I'd HIGHLY suggest this book for your summer reading list.
88 of 95 found the following review helpful:
A Different Kind of Leader Jul 15, 2007
By Robert W. Kellemen
"Doc. K."
Super Bowl championship coach Tony Dungy writes a tell-all book that the entire family can read. In fact, Dungy would not start his own bio with "super bowl championship coach." Instead, he would begin it with "Christian," then "husband," "parent," and "friend." Even when talking about coaching, Dungy's philosophy is on coaching the entire person--mentoring.
"Quiet Strength" is one part autobiography, one part thrilling sports biography, one part coaching technique, one part dealing with suffering, one part family life narrative, one part social commentary, and one part Christian living teaching. Woven together seamlessly, the subtitle accurately provides the beautiful tapestry that results: "The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life."
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.
74 of 81 found the following review helpful:
An Excellent Book that Uplifts the Reader Aug 05, 2007
By Michael Dubruiel
"annunciations.wordpress.com"
I received my copy of Quiet Strength from the hands of Coach Dungy himself on the day the book was released in Atlanta, GA. The humble man from Jackson, MI was wearing the Super Bowl ring as he handed me the autographed book.
This is an extremely well written book! I was a big fan of Coach Dungy from his Tampa Bay Buc days (I am a Buc and Jaguar fan) and because like him I ended up in Indiana about the same time that he moved up here, I've followed his career up here--but this book unveals so much about the man and how his faith helps him to interpret the events of his life--both the good and the bad.
What many people would consider insignificant events, Coach Dungy helps the reader to reevaluate and to see in their correct light. I think anyone who reads this book will come away a better person than they were before they read the book--truly a mark of a great book, but also a mark of the quiet strength that motivate Tony Dungy!
24 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Quiet Strength Means Never Having to Apologize for Being Kind Jul 16, 2007
By Jeff Feezle
The head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy has written an incredibly touching biography. For years Lovie Smith (coach of the Chicago Bears) and Dungy were considered "too soft' to be effective leaders in the NFL. They were also regarded to be two of the finest individuals associated with professional sports: both have genuine character, are humble, give thanks to God instead of themselves, and have a strong sense of family. The players on the Colts feel that kind of closeness to Dungy: a family spirit. Imagine the difficulty of uniting and motivating 44 of the toughest men on the planet into a common goal without resorting to strong-arm tactics that they are used to.
Tony's book is a testament to making life a `family moment.' Achievement shouldn't be made at the sacrifice of the achiever's soul. There are many real life lessons in Tony's biography, but this book is much more than that. They detail how to deal with issues with maturity, humility and thoughts of others first. Does it work? Well, he just won the Super Bowl with that philosophy, and believe me, 100's of sportswriters woke up the next day with stale egg on their face.
Dungy agonized whether to put the heartbreaking story of his son in the book, but finally relinquished to help others who have to somehow come to terms with family tragedies. I've grown so weary of endless sport exposes' that emphasizes the negative. That is one of the delights I had when reading this book- the absence of sports self-glorification in the Dungy story. This is far from being your average sports tell-all. In August of 2007, this book was number 1 in the country in sales, proving that you don't have to write a gossip book for a novel to be successful about sports.
Despite the disrespect by the Tampa Bay Bucs, despite losing his son, despite taking criticism for being too easy on his players and despite being misunderstood by the sports media, Tony Dungy has emerged positively. Lessons in life are not just learned: they are earned. 10 years from now his players will glowingly talk about the influence of Coach on their lives. Until then, when the final vindication comes for his selfless efforts, this book: "Quiet Strength" will serve as a monument to old-school values and the wonderful results they can bring.
Jeff Feezle of Macafeez
29 of 30 found the following review helpful:
A Truly Remarkable Man Jul 22, 2007
By Joe Wikert
"jwikert@gmail.com"
Two words sum up my review of Tony Dungy's book: Deeply inspirational. It doesn't matter what your background and interests are, everyone should read this book. You don't have to be a Colts fan. You don't have to even be a sports fan. You don't have to be a Christian, although Dungy's Christ-centric lifestyle is quite an inspiring model, especially when compared to the lifestyles of others in the game.
This isn't a football book. If you're looking for the X's and O's of how the Colts won the Super Bowl you'll need to look elsewhere. This is a remarkable story about a remarkable man and his journey up to now. Although it's easy for all of us to look at the positives in Dungy's life, especially since it's only been about 5 months since the Colts won the Lombardi trophy, this book outlines the many, many challenges and setbacks he's had along the way; but it's how he's responded to each and every one of those situations that make him an excellent role model.
I had often wondered why a search of "Tony Dungy" on Amazon yielded nothing until this book came out. The reason behind that is explained in the Introduction: as a very quiet, private man, Dungy didn't see the need to hype is career/life in a book. Or he didn't until he realized it could be used to help others, and that's precisely his goal with Quiet Strength. Much has been written about his outreach to teens in trouble after his own son committed suicide in 2005. Seeing this man in action and hearing him speak recently, I have no doubt these reports only scratch the surface. Dungy is a remarkable person who impacts everyone around him.
Dungy isn't one to operate with a bunch of smoke and mirrors. Even his advice on building a solid team would be considered pretty dull by today's standards. It's mostly "do what we do, whatever it takes", etc. No fire and brimstone, which is one of the reasons he probably looked like less of a winner after Jon Gruden was able to replace him in Tampa and win it all in his first year. Fortunately for good guys everywhere, Dungy proved once and for all that Leo Durocher was wrong and they can finish first! Further, the Colts success in 2006/2007 can be directly attributed to Dungy's stick-to-it attitude and approach.
This book caused me to look at Colts owner Jim Irsay differently. I've always assumed he was a cold mercenary, just like his dad. You remember Bob Irsay...he's the guy who moved the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis without telling anyone. Not that Jim wouldn't consider pulling up stakes as well, but it was interesting to read Dungy's story of how Jim first contacted him. It was immediately after Tampa let Dungy go and Irsay presented a vision for the team that reminded me of the old Art Rooney days in Pittsburgh. Irsay even went on to tell Dungy that money wouldn't be an issue and to make sure "your agent doesn't screw up the deal"!
Read this book and you too will discover that football is just one small but important piece of Tony Dungy's life. It's how he's dealt with all the other aspects of his life though that truly make this a outstanding book. Just when I thought there were no players/coaches in professional sports worthy of having your child look up to, Tony Dungy proved me wrong.
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