Q & A with Tony Dungy

By Felicia Pride, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 7/17/2008

Tony Dungy, former NFL player and current head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, can now add writing a children’s book to his long list of accomplishments. Bookshelf spoke with Dungy about You Can Do It! (Little Simon Inspirations, July), a motivational story that encourages kids to dream.

Tony Dungy. Photo: Indianapolis Colts.

Actually, the idea came from my wife, Lauren. She reads a lot, including to schools during the football season. We also have three young children and she always talked about looking for material to read that was fun and told a good story. So she put the idea in my mind.

You’re involved in a lot of youth organizations such as Boys and Girls Club of America and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. What do you see as the importance of reading for children?

That was the other side of my goal in writing a book. My wife is big on encouraging kids to read. I wasn’t a big reader growing up, but I know how important it is. Our hope is that some kids who wouldn’t normally read will pick up the book and be encouraged to read.

The book is based on your family, and focuses on your younger brother as he tries to figure out what his “it” is. How did you come up with the concept?

It’s pretty much a true story. My younger brother is three years behind me. I was the star athlete and everyone assumed that he was going to do the same thing. He was interested in other things, and he wasn’t sure if he should follow his interests or do what people expected him to do. Luckily we had parents who encouraged us to dream and go after our dreams. They told us that if we included God in our plans, we’d be okay.

Has your brother seen the book?

He has seen it. He liked it a lot, especially the message. He’s a dentist and has a big waiting room. So he said he’s going to display it in the waiting room and hopefully lots of kids will read it.

You mentioned that you have three young children. What did they think of the book?

They liked it. They laughed at their uncle as a kid and his antics in school.

Did they like that fact that Daddy wrote it?

They were a little surprised. They thought it was funny because it was about Uncle Linden, but when they saw my picture on the back, they started to understand that I wrote it.

What was it like writing a young you into the story?

Actually it was fun. The fact that the story really focuses on my brother made it nice because I wasn’t the central character. That made [this book] easier to write than my other book.

Speaking of your New York Times bestselling memoir, Quiet Strength, what was it like transitioning from writing for adults to writing for children?

It was a lot of fun, but very different. The story is much shorter and you have to tailor it for a younger crowd. The illustrations really make the book. So we had to sort through and pick an illustrator.

How did you end up working with illustrator Amy June Bates?

We saw a sample of her work and thought she would be great. Then we had to communicate the story and describe what everybody was like. She would do a couple of drawings, show us and we would tell her what we thought. I would tell her things like I saw my father as a little more stern looking and my mother as the one who helped to keep everyone fun and loose. She really had to learn about each character.

Do you think the illustration of your character resembles you when you were a kid?

My wife and I had a debate about that. She wanted the character to look like me. I wanted him to be a young generic guy who kids could relate to. But we both think the book came out great. The kids are bright-eyed and energetic. The parents look loving and caring. That’s how I remember my family growing up.

At what age did you realize that your “it” was to pursue a professional football career?

I never grew up thinking I was going to be an athlete or make my livelihood in athletics. But I enjoyed sports and liked playing in school. I remember thinking early on that athletics would be a way to pay for my college education. I don’t think it was until I was a junior in college that I really felt like professional football was a possibility or could be a reality for me.

I’m sure you dreamed about coaching a winning Super Bowl team. How did it feel when you accomplished that?

It was unbelievable. I won a Super Bowl as a player and I felt part of the group and really basked in that. But as the head coach on the podium, realizing that everyone in the organization and the community had the dream and to see that it was accomplished was a pretty awesome feeling.

What’s one dream you have yet to fulfill?

I’d like to see our boys in this country reach their potential. I see so many gifted young men who really need a little direction. I’d like to have something hands-on to help do that. I don’t know what that something is going to be, but that would be the next dream.

Do you see yourself writing more books for children?

I think so. My wife would like to help me do another one. She’s got a couple of ideas in mind. She loved how this one turned out.

Like your memoir, this book also holds an inspirational message. What do you hope children take away from it?

I hope that young people will be encouraged to dream and think that they can do whatever is in their dream. And to realize that God is important in their dreaming. If they can do that, they will be successful.

You Can Do It! by Tony Dungy, illus. by Amy June Bates. Little Simon Inspirations, $16.99, 978-1-4169-5461-3 ages 4-7