November 2006

Perseverance In Pain Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts talks about the pain of losing his son and how hardships in the NFL have prepared him for life's struggles. Makes for a great Super Bowl outreach! Order the DVD here Subscribe

There are few men in the NFL more respected than Tony Dungy. On the field his record is admirable - the winningest coach in the NFL since 1999, and he is only the sixth NFL coach to win 100 games in his first ten years as coach. Many believe, however, that Tony Dungy's greatest legacy is not his coaching, but how he has lived his life and displayed his faith - especially after the tragedy of losing his son.

More than as a player, and even more than as a coach, Tony is respected for his character and ethics. He is a man of faith, who puts God first and family second and football third. He has been a frequent speaker for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action.

“People who have known Tony Dungy a long time talk about what a man of dignity he has been,” wrote Mike Vaccaro in the New York Post. “Flashes of that always came through on television. You never saw him grab a player’s facemask, never heard him disrespect anyone. (He is) a man who clearly embodies everything we want our sporting heroes to be.”

Coach Dungy has always been heavily involved in his community and with youth prison ministry. He has teamed up with Breakaway Outreach to develop a juvenile justice ministry video resource about how to deal with pain and suffering. The resource will help incarcerated young people handle their hurts through a biblical standpoint while presenting the Gospel.

"My faith in Christ is what's gotten me through this," Dungy said about the loss of his 18-year-old son, James, whose death was ruled a suicide in December of 2005.

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