Dungy urges teens at Wheaton Academy to become leaders

Former NFL coach Tony Dungy has been spending a lot of his time since retiring in 2008 advocating on behalf of a faith-based parenting program.

But Thursday morning, when speaking to a crowd of more than 200 teenagers inside Wheaton Academy's Warrior Dome in West Chicago, he put some of the onus on the youngsters themselves to become leaders of tomorrow.

"Our nation has a leadership crisis and it's up to you to step into those positions," Dungy said. "Especially with young people, there's a thing about fitting in. It's all right to stand out, make your own decisions and step above the crowd."

Dungy preached leadership, action and righteousness to the gathering, saying young people know the difference between right and wrong and that doing what is right will always make someone happier.

"It is hard not to follow the crowd," said 16-year-old Spencer Graf, who will be a sophomore at Wheaton Academy this fall. "In any school there's an element of being there that you just want to fit in. It's awesome to hear someone like Tony Dungy talk about standing out."

Dungy, who led the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl victory over the Chicago Bears in 2007, is promoting his third book, "The Mentor Leader," and signed copies after his speech for members of the audience.

"I thought what was best is that he answered questions from the crowd truthfully," said Colin Copler, a baseball player at the school who will also be a sophomore in the fall. "He talked about some of the same things that they talk about at school and that reinforces that message to us."

Dungy's book uses examples of mentoring programs that led to transformations of both individuals and teams.

Most famously, the former coach stepped into the role of mentor for NFL quarterback Michael Vick following the athlete's release from prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from running a dogfighting operation. Vick recently was in the news again when a shooting occurred outside a restaurant where he was celebrating his birthday.

NFL officials said Vick would not be punished by the league for the incident. Dungy said he doesn't believe Vick's latest issue diminishes the quarterback's efforts to redeem himself nor does it tarnish Dungy's reputation.

"The one thing Michael and I talk about is that he's not going to get the benefit of the doubt," Dungy said. "He has done a lot of positive things, but the one negative thing can diminish all of that. He's grown a lot and he's in a better place, and I'm proud of that."

Dungy also was scheduled to speak Thursday at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit in South Barrington.

Dungy couldn't escape without talking about his own former star quarterback, Peyton Manning, or making some predictions about the results of the next Super Bowl.

Dungy said Manning is most like the fun-loving persona people see on television commercials. He told a story about how Manning played a joke on rookie running back Dominic Rhodes in 2001. Manning convinced Rhodes the game was going to be stopped when the running back reached the 1,000-yard mark for the season so officials could hand him the ball.

When the mark was surpassed, Rhodes stood on the field proudly waiting for his trophy while the rest of the team - led by Manning - yelled at him to get in the huddle.

"We almost got a delay-of-game penalty," Dungy said.

As for a Super Bowl prediction, Dungy is picking his former Colts to beat the Dallas Cowboys in a "close game."