Cal Ripken, Jr. by Fritz Knapp

Author:Fritz Knapp [Knapp, Fritz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Price World Publishing, LLC
Published: 2012-06-20T00:00:00+00:00

AT A GLANCE: TONY DUNGY, Super Bowl Winning Coach

For Tony Dungy, former coach of the Indianapolis Colts and now TV broadcaster, sports have always been about learning, leading and loving. Born October 6, 1955 in Jackson, Michigan, a suburb of East Lansing, Dungy was the second of four children born to Wilbur, a retired physiology professor, and CleoMae Dungy, a former English teacher who died in 2002 of complications from diabetes. Dungy’s learned parents loved their children, and enjoyed doing all sorts of outdoor activities with them. For young Tony, it was fishing he enjoyed doing the most with his father:

“My dad was usually a quiet thoughtful man. A scientist at heart and by training, Wilbur Dungy loved to be outside, enjoying the scenery. Fishing allowed him time to contemplate, to listen, and to marvel at God’s creation. My dad used fishing to teach his children to appreciate the everyday wonders of the natural world God created—the sandy shoreline, the dark pine forests, the shimmering water, and the abundant wildlife. The lessons were always memorable, whether we caught a lot of fish or not.”

A God-centered seriousness about life, as well as the importance of staying calm and communicating clearly are certainly attributes Tony took from his father, and from his mother he took a competitive drive that propelled him in his two main sports: football and basketball. His mother loved to run foot-races against her children, and it wasn’t until Tony, a budding star quarterback, entered middle school that he finally beat his mother in a race.

A speedy and elusive high school quarterback, Dungy accepted a scholarship to the University of Minnesota, though he was a huge Michigan State fan because of his father’s tenure there as a doctoral student. At Minnesota, Dungy established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, and registered the 4th highest record for total yardage in Big Ten Conference history, but his size (6 feet, 185 pounds) prevented him from being drafted into the NFL. Instead, at Pittsburgh Steelers’ Coach Chuck Noll’s urging, he joined the Steelers as a walk-on, and switched to defensive back to make the team.

As part of a great Steelers team in the 1970’s (a team that included players such as Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, “Mean” Joe Green, Jack Lambert, and Lynn Swann, and won the Super Bowl in 1978), Dungy was known more for his intelligent play and less for his pure ability. A reserve defensive back on a defense was known as the “Steel Curtain” for their near impenetrability, Dungy was traded to San Francisco and then the New York Giants, where he was cut in 1980.

Because Dungy was such an astute player, studying film and analyzing game strategies, coaching seemed the next logical career. He was first hired by the University of Minnesota’s Coach Stoll, as a defensive backs coach, and the following year Steelers Coach Noll signed Dungy to the same position. At Pittsburgh, Dungy became the NFL’s first black defensive coordinator in 1984, and his defenses were known for causing turnovers.

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