Tony Dungy is an ex-National Football League defensive player and a well-known mentor leader.
He started his coaching career after retiring from the game in 1996. As a chief mentor in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he triggered 148 games of victory in the following 13 seasons, including a few with the Indianapolis Colts.
Tony Dungy is the first in the Black community head coach to hold the title of the Super Bowl winner, the first head coach at the NFL to beat every NFL team. He was only 25 to become the youngest assistant coach and coordinator at 28 in NFL.
Leadership quotes from Tony Dungy can enable you to look at the positive aspects of life. These quotes on life can assist you and create a cheerful vibe within you.
Memorable Tony Dungy quotes on Football
Explore some of the quotes of Tony Dungy from his books, 'The Mentor Guide' and 'The Quite Strength.' These quotes will encourage you to become a football player.
"I got put into leadership roles very early in life from fifth grade, sixth grade. I always ended up being the quarterback or the leader of the sports teams, and it's kind of benefiting me now." ―
- 'Tony Dungy: Overcoming Adversity On and Off the Field', www1.cbn.com/sports.
"I was a quarterback in college. I hoped to go to the NFL, and I didn't get drafted. I then became a free agent. I could sign with whoever I wanted to, and I ended up going to Pittsburgh."
"Football was really my least favorite sport and the last sport that I ended up picking up as a kid. My dad started me off with baseball, which most kids did at that time. I really enjoyed basketball. That was my favorite sport."
― Quoted in 'Inside...the Mind of a Man!' Stacey Green.
" I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose."
― 'Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices & Priorities Of A Winning Life.'
"When Jim Irsay called me five years ago, he told me, 'I want you to be our coach and help us win the Super Bowl.' He told me, We are going win it the right way.
We are going to win it with great guys; win it with class and dignity. We are going to win it in a way that will make Indianapolis proud."
― Tony Dungy in the book 'The Jersey Effect: Beyond The World Championship Ring', Hunter Smith, Darrin Gray.
"Engage, educate, equip, encourage, empower, energize, and elevate. Those are the methods for maximizing the potential of any individual, team, organization, or institution for ultimate success and significance. Those are the methods of a mentor leader."
―' The Mentor Leader: Secrets To Building People And Teams That Win Consistently',2010, Tony Dungy.
"Keeping ridiculous hours doesn’t mean you’ll be successful."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"You may not win the Super Bowl. Your kids may not go on to be doctors and lawyers and everything may not go perfectly. That doesn't mean it was a bad plan or the wrong thing. It's just like a football season. Everything's not going to go perfect".
"For some reason, the football coach of a major college program is seen as one of the leaders of the campus. And some way we have to let our young people know that that leader can look like anyone".
"It’s the journey that matters. Learning is more important than the test. Practice well, and the games will take care of themselves."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"The secret to success is good leadership, and good leadership is all about making the lives of your team members or workers better".
― 'The Mentor Leader'
"I was able to look at football as something that God was allowing me to do, not something that should define me. I couldn't take my identity from this sport".
"If you want to be an athlete, then getting good grades, going to college, and developing your intellectual skills are important."
"When it’s over, it’s over is part of football’s greatest appeal to me. When a game ends, win or lose, it’s time to prepare for the next one."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"What you do is not as important as how you do it."
―'Uncommon Manhood: Secrets to What It Means to Be a Man'.
"Don’t worry about your platform; focus on your impact."
― 'The Mentor Leader' 16
Inspirational Tony Dungy Quotes on Leadership
Read these highly motivating Tony Dungy quotes to enhance your leadership skills.
".......I would tell people, if you lead, you are going to get criticism. You’re, you’re going to get a lot of praise at times."
― Podcast, Episode 60, November 11, 2021, cityserve.us.
"We are all role models to someone in this world, and we can all have an impact -- for good."
"When mentor leaders demonstrate their loyalty time and time again to those they lead – in both their personal and professional lives, those relationships will be fortified to withstand whatever challenges they face."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"If you want to make a difference in the lives of the people you lead, you must be willing to walk alongside them, to lift and encourage them, to share moments of understanding with them, and to spend time with them, not just shout down at them from on high."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"The thing I tell my team, a lot of being a great leader is knowing where you’re going and who you’re following. I think that’s very important."
― 'Tony Dungy: Born To Coach', https://www1.cbn.com/700club/tony-dungy-born-coach.
"Everything’s not going to go perfect. You’re going to have some losses that you’re going to have to bounce back from and some things that are a little unforeseen that you’re going to have to deal with."
― Tony Dungy in 'True Heroes of Sports: Discovering The Heart Of A Champion', Steve Riach
"The secret to success is good leadership, and good leadership is all about making the lives of your team members or workers better."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"A good leader gets people to follow him because they want to, not because he makes them."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"Being available and approachable is necessary for effective leadership."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"If I can't get the captains to respond appropriately and show the leadership I expect, how is anyone else going to respond?"
―'Quiet Strength: A Memoir', 2007', co-authors-Tony Dungy; Nathan Whitaker; Denzel Wash.
"How you use the opportunities your given to affect the world around you will determine the legacy you leave behind."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"Remember that mentor leadership is all about serving. Jesus said, 'For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.'"
― Quoted in 'Lay It Down: How Letting Go Brings Out Your Best', Randall Cunningham.
"I hired top-notch people, trusted them to do their jobs, and then came to grips with the fact that I wouldn’t be coaching as much."
"Everybody needs encouragement, even when things are going well."
― 'The Mentor Leader'. 12
'I have ups and downs. I have negative thoughts, negative actions, and I don’t win every game............. What I’ve tried to do is use my faith in my job, and let my faith direct me."
― 'Tony Dungy: Born to Coach', https://www1.cbn.com/700club/tony-dungy-born-coach.
"I made a decision I was going to be different. And not everybody was ready for that."
"The best solution for falling just short of the goal is to focus on the fundamentals but perform them better."
"Leadership that regenerates is what allows teams to win consistently."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
Tony Dungy Quotes On Winning Games
Read these Tony Dungy quotes to know the secrets of winning. They can inspire a young kid to become a football player.
"What did you have the potential to do? And if you came close to that, if you maximized that, then you were a success in God's eyes."
"Be a pro. • Act like a champion. • Respond to adversity; don’t react. • Be on time. Being late means either it’s not important to you or you can’t be relied upon. • Execute. • Take ownership. Whatever it takes. No excuses, no explanations."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"You can achieve more with a team than without."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"Champions don't do extraordinary things, They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking, too fast for the other team to react. They follow the habits they've learned."
"Our goal was to win, to win a Super Bowl, but also to win in the right way, to be role models to our community, to represent Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and the National Football League."
"Winning would create greater potential for change than talk alone."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"To win those big games you're going to have to complete some third-down passes, you're going to have to be able to get some explosive games in the passing game."
"I just think winners win. And guys who won all the way through high school and college, the best player at every level, they have a way of making things happen and winning games."
"Stubbornness is a virtue if you are right."
―'Building Your Team'.
"You can't always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response. Your options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"Nothing is more deflating to morale than to have a poor outcome pinned on someone who doesn't deserve it. It lacks integrity and overvalues the outcome at the expense of the people as well as the process."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"What’s important is not the accolades and memories of success but the way you respond when opportunities are denied."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"All success is a combination of talent, hard work, and luck. But having the dedication to work hard is a form of talent, and being born with talent is just luck."
― Tony Dungy, June 3, 2022, @TonyDon81902271. 7
"I never wanted our players to think the Super Bowl was the ultimate. I always talk about 'Yes, we're going to win, but what are we going to do as we're winning? What are we going to do after we win?' Winning the Super Bowl is not the destination. It's not an endpoint. It's what you do from here."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"Winning would create greater potential for change than talk alone."
― 'Quiet Strength: A Memoir'.
"Balance provides the chance for longevity. You can be a champion at work and at home."
Tony Dungy Quotes On Life
These Tony Dungy quotes on life will make you wiser. Support and encouraging words to keep our morale up and give us the confidence to face impending obstacles and problems.
"As a young kid, I had a great background. My grandfather was a minister; I have two uncles that were ministers, and so I had that spiritual background. I accepted Christ early as a kid."
― 'Tony Dungy: Born to Coach', https://www1.cbn.com/700club/tony-dungy-born-coach.
"False modesty is an attempt to tear yourself down. True humility focuses more on build up others."
―'The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge',2011, co-authors Tony Dungy, Nathan Whitaker.
"What will people remember us for? Are other people’s lives better because we lived? Did we make a difference? Did we use to the fullest the gifts and abilities God gave us? Did we give our best effort, and did we do it for the right reasons?"
"A healthy culture values its people."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"Your life has been intentionally designed by God to have a uniquely significant and eternal impact on the world around you.
―2011, 'Uncommon: Finding Your Path To Significance.'
"Integrity doesn't come in degrees: low, medium, or high. You either have integrity or you don't."
― Tony Dungy, Jul 06, 2011, FaceBook post.
"I am a firm believer that the Lord sometimes has to short-circuit even our best plans for our benefit."
― 'Quiet Strength: A Memoir.
Courage is the ability to do the right thing, all the time, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it might be.
― 'All Pro Dad: Seven Essentials To Be A Hero To Your Kids', 2012, Mark Merrill, Tony Dungy.
"We often can't see what God is doing in our lives, but God sees the whole picture and His plan for us clearly."
― Tony Dungy, November 07, 2011, FaceBook post by Tony Dungy.
"At some point in life's journey, professionally and personally, we have to be able to trust our preparation."
― 'Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, And Priorities Of A Winning Life'.
"Lovie Smith and I are not only the first two African-Americans but Christian coaches showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way and we're more proud of that."
― Quoted in 'Football And Philosophy: Going Deep', Michael W. Austin.
"You never know what's going to happen. My mother was an English teacher. If someone had told her that I was going to write a book, she would never have believed that. So you can never say never".
"I have yet to hear God's audible voice, although I have often felt led by God in more subtle ways."
― 'Quiet Strength: A Memoir'.
“When society pummels you with messages that make you feel defeated and worthless, listen to the Person who loves you more than anyone else, and receive His gift of grace. Thank Him for it right now.”
― 'The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge', Tony Dungy.
"You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was. Old Irish proverb".
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
"Don't shed any tears for me. I got to live a dream most people don't get to live."
"I need to treat everybody fairly but fair doesn’t always mean equal."
― 'Quiet Strength'.
"I would want America to know our kids need us. Spend as much time with your kids as you can. Enjoy them. Be with them. Hug your children; You never know when it will be the last time."
"Avoidance doesn't solve anything; it merely serves as a temporary salve."
― 'Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance.'
"It's sometimes easier to do the wrong thing, but it's always better to do the right thing."
"I hope my children grow up understanding that God may call them to do things that take them out of their comfort zone to benefit someone else."
― 'The Mentor Leader'.
