Tony Dungee Essay

Submitted By sweetkai23
Words: 1982
Pages: 8

In coaching there are many different styles and personalities, many of which are successful in their own way. It is important for a coach to take into account their personality when determining what their coaching style will be, as no two people can follow the exact same plan and have success. While there are basic ideas and functions that must be met, it often takes a system of trial and error for an individual to figure out precisely how exactly one will meet these criterion in a way that is effective for them and their team. One way that new coaches find what works best for them, is by trying out tactics from coaches that they respect; whether these are professional coaches, or coaches that we have personal experience with, we can find a “mentor” of sorts to lead us to our coaching style. In doing this, I have run across one professional coach, that operates on such a level of integrity that I cannot help but look to him for inspiration. Tony Dungy has had an extremely successful career by believing in himself, his faith, and the importance of integrity in all aspects of life. One of four children growing up in Jackson, MI Tony Dungy grew up with a very strong support system. In his book, Quiet Strength: The Principals, Practices, and Priorities of a winning life, Tony discusses the strong influence that both of his parents had in his life, as well as extended family. Tony’s mother was a high school English and public speaking teacher who herself had earned a MA in English. She believed strongly herself, and worked hard to pass this along to her children, that it was essential that we all find ways to help others. Her purpose, she believed, was to find ways to connect to students who, for whatever reason, were not meeting their full potential. Similarly, Tony’s father was a teacher at the local community college. Having himself started at the community college level, then proceeding to work his way through school to earn his PhD in physiology, he wanted to connect with students who couldn’t necessarily afford to go straight into a University and give them the tools they needed to be successful. He believed that a great teacher is one who can help all of their students to earn A’s (pg. 13). Tony went on to note the important distinction that his father, or his mother for that matter, did not hand out A grades but made it their mission to alter their teaching style in ways to allow their students to grasp the concepts and earn A grades. Tony also notes the strong influence of faith he received from his grandparents. His grandfather, a preacher, conducted services in his own home and through this strength in faith himself instilled the importance of into Tony as well. Beyond his home life Tony became very attached to sports early on in life with his love of basketball. While his parents were completing their graduate programs, he often was allowed to play with many of the local high school and college students at the campus intramural court. This is one of the ways that Tony admits that he learned a lot about how each individual needs to receive different types of punishment depending on not only their “crime” but also, the reason for it. He often would come home past curfew while playing basketball and he says that he would be reprimanded, it was not necessarily as severe a punishment as one of his siblings may have received for breaking curfew because his father knew the reason for it. The way that the open play was set up, Tony would often have to wait for long periods of time to get a chance to play, being that he was typically the smallest person there and would have to wait until it was his turn to pick a team. This is where Tony learned that, much like Coach Wooden believes, fair and equal are not mutually inclusive, stating, “I know that I can have blanket rules, but blanket rules don’t always fit every individual. I need to treat everybody fairly, but fair doesn’t always mean