Top 140 Tony Dungy Quotes (2025 Update)
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101. “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.”

— Tony Dungy

102. “Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. ROBERT FULGHUM.”

— Tony Dungy

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

— Tony Dungy

104. “I always liked to be fairly simple because you could get more players ready to play quickly. If you lose players to free agency, injuries, etc., it is easier to get young players ready to play in a less complex system.”

— Tony Dungy

105. “If we have trouble hearing Him, He will faithfully work in our lives until we are pointed in the direction He wants us to go.”

— Tony Dungy

106. “I said all along that God is in control.”

— Tony Dungy

107. “You have gifts, abilities, and dreams no one else has.”

— Tony Dungy

108. “I was not asked whether I would have a problem having Michael Sam on my team. I would not.”

— Tony Dungy

109. “There are weaknesses that you have to understand and it takes a lot of discipline for the players to be able to play it effectively and have confidence in what they’re doing.”

— Tony Dungy

110. “Look for opportunities to share a word of comfort and grace with someone today – perhaps through a story of what God has done in your life.”

— Tony Dungy

111. “We have a whole generation of men who don’t understand how much they mean to their kids.”

— Tony Dungy

112. “You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was. Old Irish proverb.”

— Tony Dungy

113. “And one game, as we know, can cost you a lot.”

— Tony Dungy

114. “The game has changed since the ’70s as more coaches have looked at ways to make it tougher on defenses. But I’m glad my career turned out the way it did – I would have never gotten a chance to learn the defensive side of the ball.”

— Tony Dungy

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

— Tony Dungy

116. “The biggest thing you need to be successful with it is a quarterback who wants to be involved in the decision-making process and not just merely want to execute plays sent in to him.”

— Tony Dungy

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

— Tony Dungy

118. “Nothing is more deflating to morale than to have a poor outcome pinned on someone who doesn’t deserve it. It lacks integrity and overvalues the outcome at the expense of the people as well as the process.”

— Tony Dungy

119. “When things happen to us that aren’t exactly what we had hoped for, there are a number of ways we can respond. But there’s only one response that will help us to move on toward the promise of a new day full of opportunities. Get over it, get up, and try it again. Olympian Eric Liddell once said, “In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.” Get over it, get up, and try it again.”

— Tony Dungy

120. “There’s a difference between making incremental improvements and making sweeping changes that take you away from your core values.”

— Tony Dungy

121. “We wanted guys who had been productive in college, and we made it a point to pick performance over potential.”

— Tony Dungy

122. “Speaking to five thousand people is no more important than quietly teaching one.”

— Tony Dungy

123. “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.”

— Tony Dungy

124. “God allows us to feel pain for a reason: to protect us.”

— Tony Dungy

125. “Others first. Whatever your corporate mission, paint a clear and compelling picture that others can understand and embrace. State your mission in terms that appeal to your team’s best instincts. Persuade and empower as if you are leading and mentoring volunteers.”

— Tony Dungy

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

— Tony Dungy

127. “At some point in life’s journey, professionally and personally, we have to be able to trust our preparation.”

— Tony Dungy

128. “I would want America to know our kids need us. Spend as much time with your kids as you can. Enjoy them. Be with them. Hug your children; You never know when it will be the last time.”

— Tony Dungy

129. “I hired top-notch people, trusted them to do their jobs, and then came to grips with the fact that I wouldn’t be coaching as much.”

— Tony Dungy

130. “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.”

— Tony Dungy

131. “I have yet to hear God’s audible voice, although I have often felt led by God in more subtle ways.”

— Tony Dungy

132. “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.’”

— Tony Dungy

133. “I talk to our players about life and situations and doing the right thing all the time.”

— Tony Dungy

134. “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.”

— Tony Dungy

135. “Nothing does more to lubricate the rough spots than a good dose of encouragement.”

— Tony Dungy

136. “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.”

— Tony Dungy

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

— Tony Dungy

138. “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.”

— Tony Dungy

139. “Moving from desire to actually doing better is only achieved with self-discipline, and self-discipline only works effectively when you trust in Him to help. Amp up your self-discipline in the areas you need it most.”

— Tony Dungy

140. “And as a football coach in the National Football League, I know for sure that it’s going to end someday.”

— Tony Dungy

141. “So, when it comes to effective leadership, it’s not about you and what makes you comfortable or helps you get ahead. It’s about other people. It’s about serving God by serving others. That’s the mind-set of the mentor leader.”

— Tony Dungy

142. “I guess I’m flattered that people think I can help get things done.”

— Tony Dungy

143. “Winning would create greater potential for change than talk alone.”

— Tony Dungy

144. “God’s Kingdom is being held in check by any church that is quick to criticize and disrespect others.”

— Tony Dungy

145. “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.”

— Tony Dungy

146. “Be successful not just in what you do, but in who you are.”

— Tony Dungy

147. “When I was young, I didn’t like to read. I would have much rather been outside doing something than been inside reading about it.”

— Tony Dungy

148. “Our parents encouraged us to follow our dreams and told us that if we wanted to do something, we could do it. And, they said, if we did it the Lord’s way, for the right reasons, we would be successful. Not that we would win every game or be wealthy, but that we would be successful in God’s eyes if we did the things that glorify Him.”

— Tony Dungy

149. “When society pummels you with messages that make you feel defeated and worthless, listen to the Person who loves you more than anyone else, and receive His gift of grace. Thank Him for it right now.”

— Tony Dungy