A Dungy-Like Influence

It’s been a blast to see so many Christian football players and coaches succeed in recent years. Between David Tyree and his helmet catch, Tim Tebow and his championship and Kurt Warner making it back to the Super Bowl, it seems that the name of Jesus Christ has been a regular topic among football fans the last few years, and that is a testament to the way these men have boldly talked about their faith.

But if there’s one man in the sports world that always sticks out to me, it has to be Tony Dungy. Dungy stands apart because not only does he use his public platform as a witness, he also exerts an amazing influence over the people in his private life as well. Check out this story about Dungy’s impact on Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin spoke out for the first time on a big stage about his faith in Christ and credited a great deal to his relationship with Dungy.

"First and foremost, I want people to know who I am and what the most important thing is in my life, my relationship with Jesus Christ," Tomlin said in response to a Baptist Press question about his personal faith. "Football is what we do; faith is who we are all the time."

Dungy not only brought Tomlin into the NFL as an assistant coach for Tampa Bay, but he also mentored the young coach. He lived a consistent life on and off the field, shared with Tomlin his lessons about leadership, and remained close after they joined different franchises. Today the 36-year-old Tomlin is the youngest coach ever to win the Super Bowl and is universally respected around the league for his leadership and his maturity, so much so that most teams without a coach are looking for “the next Mike Tomlin.”

The beautiful thing is that he’s not the only one over whom Dungy has had this sort of influence. Lovie Smith, head coach of the Chicago Bears, acknowledged his respect and gratitude for Dungy when he made it to the Super Bowl a few years ago. He was also groomed as an assistant coach under Dungy and is now a respected leader who is an outspoken Christian.

Although Dungy officially retired a few weeks ago, his influence clearly lives on through the men he mentored. His integrity and servant’s heart is continuing to pass to the next generation of coaches. We can have that same influence among our circle of family, friends and co-workers. In my interview with Pat Williams (our lead story this issue), he talked a lot about our influence, saying that “every action we take influences somebody.” This really got to me, as I can think of several instances in the last few weeks where my actions were not having the kind of influence I would like to create.

How are you doing in your circle of influence? Are you allowing God to work through your every action? Are you leading and pouring into the lives of other men, and allowing them to pour into you? If anyone has some testimonies or tips on ways they have been an influence in other’s lives, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section.