Dungy Did It!

I am a fan of Tony Dungy. We lived in Tampa for a couple of years, rooting for the Bucs. Dungy was the coach our first year in Tampa. He had taken an organization and completely turned it around. Unfortunately, the owners didn't see him as capable of winning the big one. So he was fired, Gruden was hired and the Bucs promptly won the next Super Bowl. So the criticism of Dungy escalated more as one who couldn't win the big one. He was hired by Indy, where again his team failed each year to reach expectations... until this year. Dungy won last night. Nice guys finished first. And he was gracious in the victory.

Much had been made about the race of the two coaches last night. Dungy commented that more important than race was that two Christian coaches were in the Super Bowl: "I think it's great that we're able to show the world not only that African-American coaches can do it, but Christian coaches can do it in a way that we can still win." Dungy doesn't yell, he doesn't cuss, he doesn't put down the press or his players. He coaches, and he cares about his players. And his players love him.

I don't think God takes sides in football games. I don't think God favored the Colts over the Bears. But Dungy did give God the glory last night. Not in a pretentious way like others, but in a very humble and authentic way. Dungy lives out his faith in all he does, whether he wins or loses. Finally, last night, he was able to walk off the field as Champion - but he remained the same authentic and humble follower of Christ that he has always been. In the world of sports, it is good to have two role models like Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy that others can aspire to be like - maintaining the competitive edge in their professions while living the Christian life to its fullest.