Tony Dungy Speech To Michigan Football Team Before Bowl Game Inspires Players

Tony Dungy delivered a speech to the University of Michigan football team that inspired players on the football field also calling on them to stand out off the field as well.

The former NFL coach has spent the past few years as a motivational and public speaker, and Michigan coach Brady Hoke called on Dungy to speak to his team ahead of its appearance in the Outback Bowl.

Michigan’s players have praised Tony Dungy’s speech, each of them taking something different out of it, MLive.com reported. Senior defensive back Craig Roh, an outspoken Christian, said he found Dungy’s faith a good model for the young players.

“The fact that he’s a believer and I’m a believer is awesome,” Roh said. “The thing with Tony Dungy is, he puts everything into perspective. Football is just a game. It’s a platform to praise God, to show Jesus Christ in the way you play. That’s what it is. If you get too wrapped up in achievements, it will ultimately fail you.

“There are those who are at the top, the very tip top, and they’re still not satisfied. Ultimately, it’s serving people, the people around you, rather than being obsessed with achievement.”

After the speech, several players posted photos of themselves on social media sites with Tony Dungy. They each seemed to take a different message from the speech, the Detroit Free Press noted.

“Don’t be ordinary,” linebacker Jake Ryan said was the lesson of Tony Dungy’s speech. “Be your own person. Start something yourself. Just come through with it.”

Tony Dungy’s speech was set up by Justin Dickens, Michigan’s sports information director who used to work for the Colts when Dungy was head coach there.