My Final Post

In conclusion, i read in Quiet Strength, an autobiography by Tony Dungy, and Reggie White: In The Trenches, another autobiography. I also read some magazines for a few hours of my reading time. I read for 20.5 hours and made at least one post every week.

Reading Challenge: Completed!

Today i finished Reggie White: In The Trenches. In the final three chapters, White speaks about the miracles he has seen on and off the football field. He also speaks about racism and how it is still exists in our country today. He makes suggestions and ideas of how to solve the racism problem in America. White talks about how to be a true hero in someone's life in the final chapter. White shared his faith throughout the book and cited several examples of how to live your faith in everyday life. So i completed the reading challenge by reading 2 books of 250+ pages and read for over 20 hours.

Reading Time: 1.5 hours
Total Reading Time: 20.5 hours

Reggie White: In The Trenches

Today i read Reggie White: In The Trenches for 2 hours. In the chapters i read today, he talks about his time with the Philadelphia Eagles and some special events that happened to him as an Eagle. His teammate died in a car accident. His father was murdered. White becomes unappreciated in Philadelphia and decides to leave as a free agent. He decided to sign with the Green Bay Packers.

Reading Time: 2 hours
Total Reading Time: 19 hours

Reggie White: In The Trenches

This morning i read 2 hours of my second book, Reggie White: In The Trenches. He talks alot about his childhood and what he learned from his relationships with his mother and step-father. He also learned many important lessons about life from his grandma, who he lived with for a few years. She took him to a Baptist church every week.

Reading Time: 2 hours
Total Reading Time: 17 hours

ESPN the Magazine and The Reporter

So today i read The Reporter as well as the current edition of ESPN the Magazine. I read articles on the USA defeating Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. I also read about ESPN's things to watch for in the NCAA tourney (what else would you read about in March???). My mouth is still very swollen so i have had lots of time to read lately.

Reading Time: 2 hours
Total Reading Time: 15 hours

Sports Illustrated

Yesterday i read Sports Illustrated for an hour on the way to West Bend to get my wisdom teeth out. I read about Sports Illustrated's predictions for the NCAA tournament. I also read an article on Tony Mandarich, who was suppose to be the best offensive line prospect ever but turned out to be a bust. After his NFL career was over, he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, which the article mostly focused on.

Reading Time: 1 hour
Total Reading Time: 13 hours

I plan to read alot more this week since my mouth is swollen from the removal of my wisdom teeth and since i have to meet the required 20 hours of reading by sunday.

Sporting News

Today i read Sporting News for an hour. I read articles on predictions for the upcoming NCAA tournament. I also read an interview of Hank Aaron in the magazine. There was also a very interesting article on the upcoming NFL draft and everything that scouts look for in potential draft picks.

Reading Time: 1 hour

Total Reading Time: 12 hours

I started my second book!

This week i began my second book, Reggie White: In The Trenches. It is an autobiography of Reggie White, a Hall of Fame defensive end who played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and the Carolina Panthers. White died a few years ago from a complication with sleep apnea.

Reading Time: 2 hours
Total Reading Time: 11 hours

ESPN the Magazine

Today i read the lastest edition of ESPN the magazine for an hour. I read articles on how the economy is affecting the NBA. I also read their Major League Baseball preview for the upcoming season. I plan to start reading my second book sometime this week.



Reading Time: 1 hour

Total Reading Time: 9 hours

Quiet Strength Chapter 20 and Epilogue

Chapter 20, Race to the Super Bowl, is about the Colts' 2006 chapionship season. They were not as dominate as past years but they were a better overall team. They overcame some adversity, such as losing four of their last seven games to finish the regular season. They came together as a team in the playoffs. Their defense played horrible during the regular season but were great during the postseason. After the Colts won the Super Bowl, Dungy used the national stage to thank God.

The Epilogue speaks about the many people Dungy touched during his career and how he affected their lives. Dungy said his goal in life is not to build a legacy but to glorify God in all he does, which should be every Christian's goal in life.

Reading Time: 1 hour
Total Reading Time: 8 hours

Quiet Strength Chapter 18-19

Chapter 18, An Unforgetable Season, was another sucessful season for the Colts, but it was not an ordinary season. Three days before Christmas, Tony Dungy's son, James, committed suicide. The whole Dungy family was in shock. Tony Dungy used the tradegy to show his faith by reflecting his confidence that James was in heaven. Dungy took some time off to grieve but returned to coach for the remainder of the season. The Colts lost in the second round of the 2005 playoffs.

Chapter 19, Staying the Course, describes the Colts' championship season in 2006. The Colts lost several key free-agents in the off-season before their championship run but they were able to replace them with young players.

Reading Time: 1 hour
Total Reading Time: 7 hours

Quiet Strength Chapters 15-17

Chapter 15, A Soft Landing, has Dungy wondering if God is leading him out of coaching after he was fired from the Buccaneers. He wonders if God is leading him to an occupation that is more meaninigful than a football coach. But Dungy got coaching offers from the Indianapolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers. Dungy accepted the Colts' coaching position because the owner had values about family and the community. Dungy applied the same principles in Indianapolis as he did in Tampa Bay. The Colts finished 10-6 in Dungy's first year but had more work to do to make it to the Super Bowl. Dungy also made a point to contact the Colts' chaplain and to emphasize a family atmosphere to his team. Dungy's former team, the Buccaneers, won the Super Bowl in 2003.

A Birthday Blessing is chapter 16's title because of the amazing comeback the Colts' completed on Monday Night Football against the Buccaneers. They scored three touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game and went on to win in overtime. The 2003 season started rocky when the Colts' kicker said that Dungy's leadership was insufficient. Dungy discussed the comments with the kicker and decided to not release him. The kicker went on to make every field goal he attempted that season. The Colts won their division and won their first two playoff games. They lost to the New England Patroits, who went on to win the Super Bowl, 24-14. Dungy knew the Colts were getting close on achieving their goal of advancing to the Super Bowl.

Chapter 17 begins with the death of Tony dungy's dad, who was very influential in his life. In the 2004 season, Dungy learned how the media can take people's words and alter them to be controversial, as he made two "controversial" remarks. The Colts had another great year, winning their division and setting multiple offensive records. They advanced to the AFC Championship, which is one game from the Super Bowl. The Patroits defeated them again and went on to win another Super Bowl.

Reading Time: 1 hour
Total Reading Time: 6 hours

Quiet Strength Chapters 12-14

Chapter 12, Hurricanes and Tornadoes, is about the 1999 pre-season. They had a terrific draft. The 1999 season started roughly, losing to a bad Giants team. Dungy spoke about how he tries to not lash out at the officials and be respectable to the officials. They went on to start the season 3-4. They won six straight and went on to win the Central Division. They won their playoff game and were one game away from the Superbowl. In the NFC Championship game, they were the underdog but only lost 11-6.

Chapter 13, Tampa 2 and Open Hearts, speaks about the defense scheme that Dungy developed in Tampa Bay. They traded for a great wide receiver to boost their offense and to help reach the Superbowl. The Buccaneers had a good 2000 season. They again made the playoffs but their season ended disappointing as they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Dungy talks about his family's decision to adopt a child after the season. The child they adopted, Jordan, was missing a gene, which doesn't allow him to feel pain. This was discovered after he was adopted so the Dungy family struggled to cope with his disease. The Dungy family adopted another child in 2001 and view each of their children as a special gift from God.

Chapter 14, Walking the Plank, deals with Dungy beginning to hear rumors that he may get fired after the 2000 season. He coached the 2001 season but felt a different atmosphere around the team. The team started slowly again yet still made the playoffs. The NFL also had to deal with the September 11 tradegies during the 2001 season, which changed many peoples' lives. During the 2001 season, Tony Dungy's mother died the week before the playoff game. Dungy was deeply saddened yet was full of joy because he knew that she was in heaven. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Eagles 31-9 in the first round of the playoffs. Dungy was then fired after the 2001 season. He was disappointed that he was fired yet thankful for the opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL.

Quiet Strength Chapters 9-11

In chapter nine, Do What We Do, Dungy discusses his main principles as a head coach. During his first training camp, he disrupted the players' usual schedule to see how they would respond to adversity. Dungy also talks about the first draft he was involved with as a head coach. The draft had alot of excitement but also some disappointment. Dungy addressed his team and how they should handle the media. He said that they should always be positive. In this chapter, Dungy emphasized how on his team, there will be "no explanations and no excuses." The 1996 season began rough, with the Buccaneers going 0-5. Yet thet rallied to finish 6-10 and the losing mentality around Tampa Bay was beginning to fade away.

Filling the Corners, chapter 10, discussed how the Buccaneers attempted to make a playoff team for 1997. It began with an outstanding draft. They began the season 5-0 but then lost three straight games. Their placekicker was struggling on the field, as he missed several fieldgoals, as well as off the field, as his mother was fighting cancer. Yet Dungy felt it was important to remain confident in him to show team unity.

Chapter eleven, Defining Success, conitinues describing the 1997 season. The buccaneers finished 10-6 and were going to the playoffs. The Buccaneers won their first playoff game but then lost to the Green Bay Packers in the second round. Dungy contrasts the different views of success. The world measures success by awards, money, and possessions. God's Word defines success as the relationship with Him and a love to serve others. The 1998 season was disappointing. The Buccaneers finished 8-8 and failed to live up to high exceptations.

Quiet Strength Chapters 6-8

In chapter six, Learning to Lead, Dungy speaks about the grueling wait for a promotion to defensive coordinator. He also talks about the birth of his first child in 1984 and how he balanced his time between his job as defensive coordinator and his family. He then resigned from his job after the 1988 season because of an underachieving defense. He received several job offers in the 1988 offseason and debates how each one will affect him and his family. He accepted a job in Kansas City. There, he spent many more hours on the job, not by choice, which then resulted in less family time. Dungy took a different job in 1992 with the Minnesota Vikings. Dungy was in awe of how God guided him through all the decisions he made about different occupational opportunities.

Chapter seven, An Unlikely Opening, begins with Dungy talking about how the Minnesota Vikings' chaplain affected him. Tony Dungy and the chaplain met once a week and studied the book of Nehemiah. Dungy learned that everything is on God's time, to be prepared when an opportunity arises, and to be prepared to handle adversity through the studying of Nehemiah. He interviewed for several head coaching jobs between 1986-1995. He felt that many of the interviews went well but he fell just short of landing the job. Yet Dungy continued to work hard and prepare for his next job interview opportunity.In the 1995 offseason, he had an interview for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and felt the interview went horrible. Dungy received a second interview with the Buccaneers, much to his surprise. He then was offered and accepted the head coaching position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dungy says he didnt see what God was doing in his life, but that God has a plan and can see the whole picture.

Building The Faculty, chapter eight, is how Dungy struggled to put together his coaching staff but finally found the right mix of teachers and men of integrity and character. Dungy also speaks about the sub-par facilities that the Buccaneers had. He taled about the need of change in attitude about the team and the facilities the team uses.

Reading Time: 1 hour
Total Reading Time: 3 hours

Quiet Strength Chapters 3-5

Chapter three is about Dungy, a black quarterback and a star on his high school football team, and his struggle whether or not to play football his senior year because an African American friend was not named a captain. Dungy believed that his friend was not named a captain because of his race. He has an African American administrator in grade school, who helped Dungy and his African American teammates decide to play football their senior seasons by putting their pride aside. Dungy said he learned valuable decision making skills from his administrator that he still uses today. Dungy also talks about his refusal to do drugs and drink while his teammates did.

In chapter four, Dungy talks about putting God first in His life in ALL things. He tells the story of how he was undrafted and wondered what plan God had for his life. God guided him to get a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster, where he found several intimidating players were devout Christians. This encourage Dungy in his faith and his striving to put God first in all that he did.

Dungy tells the story of how he met his wife in chapter five. Dungy was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 and was traded to the New York Giants a year later. He then retired after being cut from the Giants roster. He became an assistant coach for the Steelers and his pastor introduced him to a woman in his congregation, who was perfect for him as they encouraged each other in their faith. In June 1982, Tony and Lauren Dungy got married.

Reading time for last post: 1 hour
Reading time for this post: 1 hour
Total reading time: 2 hours

Quiet Strength

Today i began to read a book entitled Quiet Strength, which is a book about Tony Dungy, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts. It is not just a book about footbal but about life lessons, family, and most importantly, his faith.

The first chapter begins in 2001 when he was fired from a coaching position and didnt understand God's reasons for this. Yet he continued to trust God as he moved on in his life.

The second chapter is about Dungy's childhood. He was blessed with parents who gave him some freedom but also had some strict rules. His parents also raised him in a Christian home. As a child, he loved basketball and football as he constantly looked for anyone to compete against.