Top Ten List

Top Ten List

1. Tony Dungy: Tony is significant because he is the author and main character of the book. This is his Memoir. At a time when Tony had just become a Super Bowl champion, he wrote this book. Beginning when he started his coaching career at Tampa Bay.

2. Football: Football is something you should know because it surrounds Tony in the whole book. This is the sport that Tony has poured his heart and soul into and made his career. This is the lifestyle Tony has known since high school. Football has been apart of Tony all his life. This is very significant if reading this book.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This team is important because it is where Tony received his first professional head coaching job. This is also important because he describes Tampa Bay as the place where he grew exponentially as a head coach and made both mistakes and breakthroughs. He also describes it as a place where his kids laid there roots but were uprooted when Tony went to Indianapolis.

4. Indianapolis Colts: The Indianapolis Colts football franchise is important because this was the second team that he became the head coach of. It is significant because he talked about how the owner has treated him like family and that this was the team that stuck with him to the end and won the Super Bowl.

5. African American: Tony being an African American thought expected to be fighting the odds his whole life. He didn’t expect to make such a big splash in a big pool, by becoming the fist African American head coach to ever win the Super bowl in 2007. This is also important because he spoke of how he felt when he would accomplish something and that it would be so much more meaningful to him, like winning the super bowl.

6. Minnesota: Minnesota is important because this is where Tony went to college and played quarterback for the University of Minnesota Gophers. This is where Tony made his first sound when he was a quarterback for Minnesota. And he made connections in this state that he refers to over and over in the story. This is also important because he talks about how much he learned when he was on coaching staffs here.

7. Dr. Wilbur Dungy: Dr. Wilbur Dungy is Tony’s father. He is important because early on in the book Tony refers to him often. He talks about how his dad taught him many things. Tony says that his father had a great deal of influence including that it is very important to go to college. Which Tony always thought about and did finally attend the University of Minnesota after graduating high school.
8. Lauren Dungy: Lauren Dungy is Tony’s wife, and major supporter. She is significant because throughout the whole story Lauren is by his side supporting and going along with him. Tony talks about how big a part of his life his wife is to him. And that she made it so much easier when they went from Tampa Bay to Indianapolis. And that she has been there every step of the way in his coaching career.

9. Children: This is important because family is important to Tony. Throughout the book Tony makes mention of his kids in small sections. An important section would be when you find out that one of his sons dies. He doesn’t talk about it very much but it is defiantly a significant part of the book because of the values that family has to Tony.

10. God: God is important to the story because religion is very important to Tony. All through the story Tony makes references to God. One example is on page. 241 when he says: “I don’t have the strength or wisdom to get through a single day without the guidance and grace from God” and when I read this particular quote it really emphasized how much Tony turns to religion.

Week 6 Post B

-This section was more or less about hiring and firing. Tony describes the hiring of offensive coordinator Les Steckel and the firing of Mike Shula. A major subject of this is the playoffs. A significant quote form this section would be…

“So the Bucs’ success was great-kind of. One year after I had been fired by Tampa Bay, my family and I were in Tampa for the Bucs’ magical three-week run through the playoffs. Super Bowl frenzy was everywhere-in the paper, on the radio, on television, in everyone’s conversation. The comment we kept hearing was, “Thank goodness Jon Gruden came along to finish the job for Tony Dungy.” That was painful to hear.”

When I read this I was thinking to myself, how would I feel if I over heard that about me? And I truly and thoughtfully put myself in his situation. And I concluded that I would have felt deeply hurt. This is the team and state that I poured my time and energy into for a long time, and when I’m gone, one man comes along with my team and makes it look easy, and I hear a comment like that. A thought to leave you with would be: put yourself in his shoes, how would you feel or react to a comment like that?

Week 6 Post A

-An emerging theme form this section would be learning from experience and trust. Tony talks about how he must trust the personnel he hired, and how he learned form his old head coach Denny Green.
-“I knew from watching Coach Noll and Denny Green how I wanted to do things as a head coach. I hired top-notch people, trusted them to do their jobs…” In this quote Tony talks about trust, an emerging theme in this section