Tony Dungy

To win those big games you're going to have to complete some third-down passes, you're going to have to be able to get some explosive games in the passing game.

I've always talked to players about perception and reality. I don't worry about perception. There may be some of that, that people want to attach to a good name, but the reality is that some good things can happen.

When Jim Irsay called me five years ago, he told me, 'I want you to be our coach and help us win the Super Bowl.' He told me, 'We are going win it the right way. We are going to win it with great guys; win it with class and dignity. We are going to win it in a way that will make Indianapolis proud.'

When you're in a situation, you can complain about it, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do a lot of things. But how are you gonna make the situation better?

It's just really making sure I am doing the best job I can do as a dad. I do think that is my No. 1 job.

People look at me and see a calm, cool guy on the sidelines and I want them to know that my Christian faith affects my coaching and everything I do.

We talked about some of our experiences, focusing, hanging together down the stretch, important games. It's not necessarily who has the most talent but what team sticks together and executes their fundamentals the best.

I think I can always look back and say my mom and dad would have done this or suggested that in a particular situation. I just really feel blessed to have had them as parents.

My parents had a strong impact on who I am today. My mother and dad both encouraged us to think about the long term - where you wanted to be - to think about education, to think about what is right and what is wrong, and to do things that will help you in the long run.

We believed it was not our formations that made us good, but rather how we played.

Football is a vocation and an opportunity for ministry. But it's not a life.

Sometimes I think God wants there to be a circus so we can show there's another way to respond.

If you're just saying, hey, I'm doing this. I'm working to make money. I'm working to increase my status. If that's all there is, I think you will find out that it's meaningless.

I had 10 to 12 close buddies who I played ball with all the way from elementary to high school. That is where I learned to compete.

Remember that mentor leadership is all about serving. Jesus said, 'For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.'

We have a number of difficulties facing our nation, but I believe fatherlessness is right at the top of the list.

My heart's toward youth ministry, but I don't know. I never would have thought I would have written a book. And God kind of directed that. So we'll see what the next is.

The further I get away from coaching, the more I know I made the right decision. You almost forget how wonderful family life is.

I just think winners win. And guys who won all the way through high school and college, the best player at every level, they have a way of making things happen and winning games.

Lovie Smith and I are not only the first two African-Americans but Christian coaches showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way and we're more proud of that.

You never know what's going to happen. My mother was an English teacher. If someone had told her that I was going to write a book, she would never have believed that. So you can never say never.

The Lord doesn't always take you in a straight line. He tests you sometimes.

I've said all along that God is in control.

As humans, we don't know what we should do. We don't have those instincts like God has given animals. We have to see to know where we are going. It is just a natural human emotion to look for people to emulate.

I guess I'm flattered that people think I can help get things done.

No excuses. No explanation. You dont win on emotion. You win on execution.

There are certain bridges that are not worth crossing no matter what others think. Loyalty and relationships are important.

I think I've got a responsibility to be home a little bit more, be available to my family a little bit more and do some things to help make our country better. I don't know what that is right now, but we'll see.

But I know I have a son who doesn't listen to anything I say and if he hears the same thing from someone else, sometimes it has a little more impact.

If someone needs help, I can offer advice. I'm not always right and people don't always listen.

Hard work and togetherness. They go hand in hand. You need the hard work because it's such a tough atmosphere... to win week in and week out. You need togetherness because you don't always win, and you gotta hang though together.

The best leaders are following Christ. That's the best leader you can follow.

Did you know that nearly one in three children live apart from their biological dads? Those kids are two to three times more likely to grow up in poverty, to suffer in school, and to have health and behavioral problems.

A good leader gets people to follow him because they want to not because he makes them.

You can have an impact anywhere you are.

It's definitely harder being a dad than a coach.

Stubbornness is a virtue if you are right.

I just don't think you pass on a great quarterback if you have the opportunity. If need be, you can trade it away.

We need somebody to give us a chance.

Don't shed any tears for me. I got to live a dream most people don't get to live.

I learned from Chuck Noll in Pittsburgh that speed and explosiveness on defense is the way to build a team. Both are difficult for your opponent to assimilate in practice and then in games it is even harder to match.

Anyone who's a parent dreads that call in the middle of the night. I have four grown children and I still dread it.

That's the key to defending any quarterback: to make them throw before they want to throw.

The first thing you have to do is make sure you're still wanted back. I never take that for granted any more.

You may not win the Super Bowl. Your kids may not go on to be doctors and lawyers and everything may not go perfectly. That doesn't mean it was a bad plan or the wrong thing. It's just like a football season. Everything's not going to go perfect.

But theres no substitute for a full time dad. Dads who are fully engaged with their kids overwhelmingly tend to produce children who believe in themselves and live full lives.

For some reason the football coach of a major college program is seen as one of the leaders of the campus. And some way we have to let our young people know that that leader can look like anyone.

Everything's not going to go perfect. You're going to have some losses that you're going to have to bounce back from and some things that are a little unforeseen that you're going to have to deal with.

We want to enjoy our families and the hype leading up to the game.

We're not hitting on all cylinders, defensively. When we're playing good, I'll let you know.

Our goal was to win, to win a Super Bowl, but also to win in the right way, to be role models to our community, to represent Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and the National Football League.

I enjoy talking to young people, and talking to people about helping young people. That part is not a chore. It's pretty fun, and something I like to do because I think it's important.

I wish Michael Sam nothing but the best in his quest to become a star in the NFL,and I am confident he will get the opportunity to show what he can do on the field.

We've got guys who aren't wrapping guys up... No matter how hard you hit them, you've still got to wrap them up.

That's the difference between the NCAA and the NFL right now. They've got to step up and say, 'We're going to do the right thing. We're going to hire qualified people. We're going to hire the best man for the job regardless of what boosters or anyone else has to say.'

When I played at Minnesota, Green Bay, those northern cities, Buffalo, they wanted to have those championship games at home. It was going to be an advantage to be there with their fans and the cold weather and all that. But when you've got a Super Bowl, and it's the two best teams, you want ideal conditions. You want to play a great game.

The narrow path that 'Uncommon' people will take, that the Lord wants you to go down, that really is the ultimate way to go.

I could never have pictured myself writing a book when I was 25 years old. My mom was an English teacher but I wasn't that way growing up.

You should never be defined by what you do, by the things you have; you've got to define yourself by who you are and who you impact and how you impact people. And that's the thing I try to get across to my players.

Everybody needs encouragement even when things are going well.

But there's no substitute for a full-time dad. Dads who are fully engaged with their kids overwhelmingly tend to produce children who believe in themselves and live full lives.

The secret to success is good leadership and good leadership is all about making the lives of your team members or workers better.

The Lord has a plan. We always think the plans are A, B, C and D, and everything is going to be perfect for us and it may not be that way, but it's still his plan.

The secret to success is good leadership, and good leadership is all about making the lives of your team members or workers better.

Avoidance doesn’t solve anything; it merely serves as a temporary salve.