12/11 Quote

In the next 100 or so pages in Quiet Strength, by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker, the book transitions into when Tony is on the job hunt, and the lead with the Buccaneers was looking promising. This was a huge surprise to tony because going in, he, along with the media, didn't think he had a shot. When he got the job he said in an interview,






"Head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I couldn't believe I'd actually gotten the job. I was especially humbled when I thought about all the times I had fallen short and all the other African American coaches who had gone before me but had never gotten this chance. I realized that the one thing I could do to help them-and the coaches who followed behind us-was to win. Actions speak louder than words. Winning would create greater potential for change than talk alone" (Whitaker 95).

This quote speaks top the character of Tony Dungy. He was a selfless, determined guy who always saw the bigger picture in what he was doing. After all his hard work had finally paid off and he was a head coach, he didn't think of himself. He immediately thought about how significant this was that he was an African American head coach, and the impact he would lead for other African Americans to follow. He realized that this special, there had been many African American men who had the skill and drive he did but always fell short, but Tony didn't. Him saying that this humbled him shows his inner humbleness and selflessness. Tony also says that to truly leave a lasting impression on the league and pave the way for African American men to follow behind him, he needed to win. It was not enough to give it his best go and hope for victory, he had to work 100 times harder than he ever had to truly succeed. He, and everybody working for him knew his ambitions, they knew what his goal was, to win a Superbowl. His entire career he wanted nothing more than to hoist the Lombardy trophy and celebrate with his team, but he had always fallen short. Now that he was at the helm of his team and he controlled what happened during the season, he truly felt the pressure. He knew he would be satisfied with nothing less than world champions, so he worked for it. Everyday he showed up early, left late, and did everything he could to make sure everybody in the organization was on the same page. He says at the end of the quote that actions speak louder than words, and I believe this is true. Everybody can talk the talk if they have too. Speak on how good their teams will be or how their players are top notch, but come game time only some can walk the walk. It takes near perfect performance on the field and a great week of preparation to win in the NFL, and some don't have what it takes to put it all together. Tony knew is he was going to achieve his goals and pave the way for African American coaches that followed him, he would have to do exactly that.