Tony dungy siblings

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Tony Dungy has been a leader for much of his life and he continuously encourages others to develop their leadership abilities as well. For these reasons, Tony Dungy will be the focus of this leader analysis paper.

Introduction

The second of four Dungy children, Tony was born on October 6th, 1955 in Jackson, Michigan. According to Bell (2007), “He and his three siblings were raised in a home where education and faith were stressed.” This could be attributed to the fact that both of his parents were educators. His father, Wilbur, was a physiology professor at Jackson Community College and his mother, Cleomae, taught English and Public Speaking at Jackson High (Dungy, 2007).

At age 14, Tony was elected student body president at Jackson Parkside High (Bell, 2007). Not only was he student body president, but he was also star of the baseball, basketball, football and track teams. He went on to earn a football scholarship at the University of Minnesota, where he started four years at quarterback. He finished his Minnesota career as the program’s career leader in pass attempts, pass completions, passing touchdowns, and passing yards. In addition, he was two time Academic All-Big Ten and received the Big Ten Medal of Honor, in 1977, which is awarded for attaining the greatest proficiency in athletics and academics (“Anthony Kevin Dungy,” 2013).

Even with all the success Tony had as a quarterback for the Minnesota Gophers, he was not selected in the 1977 NFL draft. Unrelentingly, however, he went on to play defensive safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers and actually led the team in interceptions during their 1978 Super Bowl Championship season. The next year he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, where he played one year before being traded again to the New York Giants. After being cut from the Giants’ roster in the preseason, Tony announced his retirement.

This retirement kicked off his coaching career. He started as an assistant coach with his alma mater, Minnesota and then moved on to the NFL. In 1981, at age 25, the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Tony as an assistant coach, under Chuck Noll, making him the NFL’s youngest assistant coach. Three years later, in 1984, the Steelers named him the youngest defensive coordinator in the NFL.

His first head coaching job came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996. After accomplishing four winning records in six seasons, he was fired as Buccaneers head coach on January 14th, 2002 (Dungy, 2007). During that offseason, Tony was hired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Ironically, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl during Tony’s first year with the Colts. Tony got his chance with the Colts, however, in 2007, when he became the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl. He coached one more year and then retired from coaching in 2008.

Now, Tony is a football analyst, author, and active member of several charities, including Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Prisoner Crusade Ministry (“Anthony Kevin Dungy,” 2013).

Model the Way

According to Kouzes and Posner (2006), in order to model the way, you must, “Find your voice by clarifying your personal values” and “Set the example by aligning actions with shared values” (p. 10).

Tony Dungy is definitely an exemplary leader when it comes to modeling the way. In his book, The Mentor Leader, Dungy (2010) says, “Values, very simply, can be thought of as the rules of the road” (p.38). His ‘rules of the road’ were established at an early age and he has spent the rest of his life following this road without wavering.

As a 14 year old, he ran for student body president and was unopposed. As a star quarterback at the University of Minnesota, he earned Academic All-Big Ten twice. His senior year at the University of Minnesota, he earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor for his exemplary performance in academics and athletics. These accomplishments are a strong testament to his value for both scholastic and athletic excellence.

When he failed to be drafted in the 1977 NFL draft, Dungy turned to God for guidance. He prayed, “God, I can’t believe it. Help me figure out what I’m supposed to do now” (Dungy, 2007, p. 37). He continued to pray until a former coach of his at the University of Minnesota, Tom Moore, contacted him about playing for the Steelers. His prayers were answered as Tom convinced Steelers head coach, Chuck Noll to give Dungy a chance. It would have been easy for him to forget his faith and get caught up in the lime light, especially after playing an integral role in the Steelers’ 1978 Super Bowl season, but he stayed true to his roots and continued to model his faith. In fact, Dungy (2010) said, “Finally I understood, and I started to move from being a casual Christian to a fully committed follower of Jesus” (p. 43).

After his brief, yet successful, NFL career, Dungy entered the coaching ranks. In his coaching role, he maximized his ability to have a positive influence on others. At first it was through the positive influence he had on the younger athletes he coached directly. Then he became actively involved in faith-based organizations like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Prisoner Crusade Ministry. Finally, after modeling the way through his actions, he accepted an offer to write Quiet Strength. This gave Dungy a new medium to positively influence others. Since Quiet Strength, he has written several books that have been very well received. Dungy (2010) wrote, “Mentor leaders demonstrate courage and are willing to lead by example” (p. 77). All of this is only possible because he walks the talk.

Inspire a Shared Vision

According to Kouzes and Posner (2006), in order to inspire a shared vision, one must, “Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities” and “Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations” (p. 10).

Dungy (2010) said, “Mentor leaders look beyond themselves, focusing on the people they lead and where they should be going together” (p. 23). In his 27 years coaching in the NFL, Dungy did just that. His teams and his staff had the luxury of following a leader who was dedicated to their individual and team development. Dungy (2007) wrote, “I have always believed that if you tell people what needs to be done, they will do it – if they believe you and your motives for telling them. I knew these guys would see through manipulation but would respond to motivation” (p. 122).