Living in Tony Dungy's Shadow

Posted July 28, 2008, 11:32 am in Football by Growing Bolder

Having Tony Dungy as an older brother would have been tough. In 2007, the Indianapolis coach became the first African American coach to win the Super Bowl. A year later, Dungy's memoir, "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life" sold one million copies, making it one of the best-selling hardcover books in history. And this month, Dungy's new children's book, "You Can Do It!" hit shelves. It tells the story of Tony's younger brother, and his journey to achieve his dreams.

Image Credit: Amazon.com

Dungy was amazed to learn that so many people read "Quiet Strength" to their children. This inspired him to write a children's book that spoke about the importance of family and led Dungy to talk about his brother, Linden. As a child, Linden struggled to follow his dreams and find his talent while living in Dungy's shadow.

Tony planned to discuss Linden's story in "Quiet Strength" but never got the chance. Now he is sharing his story with children and hopes it will encourage them to follow their dreams. "If you keep God involved in your dreams," Dungy said on the book's message, "you have a greater chance to succeed."

Dungy has recently hinted at retirement, and hopes to have more time for his ministry work. "Hopefully after a couple more Super Bowls I'll be able to do that," he said.

Even now, Dungy is deeply involved in ministry work. He works with Athletes in Action, and Basket of Hope, an organization that gives baskets of Bibles and toys to children in hospitals.

To read more about Dungy's first book, "Quiet Strength,"click here.

Living in Tony Dungy's Shadow

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