Indianapolis Colts' head coach Tony Dungy won his first NFL Championship in 2007, and from all accounts he's a great coach to play for. Just as importantly, he's also a good person and role model off the field, as highlighted in Rick Reilly's column in the April 30 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Dungy, whose 18-year-old son committed suicide in 2005, has reached out to several people -- all strangers -- who recently lost loved ones to see if there's anything he can do to help.

It would have been easy for Dungy to dwell on his loss, but instead, he's been helping others who have faced similar situations. Too often in sports we judge coaches solely on wins and losses, and not on the values they teach the players -- no matter what age -- and the example they set.

Dungy rates very high on all counts. His Colts teams have been very successful, and he's a good person. In today's world when every wart and problem a player or coach experiences is publicized in the media, it's nice to hear a story like this one about a coach with arguably one of the busiest and most stressful jobs around. No wonder his players like and respect him so much.

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 09:19 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Noted author David Halberstam, who died yesterday in a car crash, has written many highly acclaimed books on a wide variety of topics, including The Best and the Brightest, The Powers That Be, The Fifties and The Children.

He's also written a handful of sports books, all of which I'd recommend. These include several baseball books -- The Summer of 49, October 1964 and The Teammates -- some basketball books -- The Breaks of the Game and Playing for Keeps and several others.

My favorite, though, was a book on amateur rowing called The Amateurs. This is a story of four men who were competing to represent the United States in the single sculls in the 1984 Olympics. This book highlights the pure joy of athletic competition. These athletes were unknown to virtually everyone outside of the rowing community, and they had no hope of financial reward. The reward was to make the Olympic team, or to give it their best shot and congratulate the winner.

Halberstam relates how all four virtually put their lives on hold in the quest for this goal, and how hard they worked. I've given copies of it to friends who knew nothing about rowing and were skeptical about whether they would like it, but they did. It's something we can all relate to, and it's one of several books -- along with John McPhee's classic book about Bill Bradley's basketball career at Princeton University called A Sense of Where You Are -- that I'd like my kids to read to see a different, less commercial side of sports.

If you haven't read these books, you should, and consider passing them on to your kids as well.  

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 08:54 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Major League Baseball is celebrating the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier today. More than 100 players, including several entire teams, are wearing Robinson's number 42 today in tribute to him.

This has received a lot of media attention, as have the highlights of Robinson's struggle with being the first African-American player and his subsequent success, which I think is a good thing.

I heard a radio feature on Robinson recently when travelling with my kids, who hadn't heard of Robinson. I proceeded to tell them about Robinson's pioneering role, the challenges he faced and the fact that his success was critical to more African-American players becoming Major League players.

They asked a few questions about Robinson and the treatment he received, but my sense is that the next time they are asked about him, they'll remember some of our conversation. Robinson is arguably much more than just a famous athlete, but a key figure in the struggle for civil rights, and someone I'm glad my kids now know something about.

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 07:58 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The NFL has a problem with the criminal conduct of its players. In 2006 alone, at least 35 NFL players were arrested, and players continue to make headlines for the wrong reasons in 2007. These players include Tennessee Titans defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry.

Jones, who is facing charges from a highly publicized brawl at a strip club during the NBA's All-Star weekend in February, has talked with police about 10 incidents -- including marijuana possession, assult, vandalism and obstructing police -- since being drafted in 2005.

Henry has been arrested four times in little more than a year, pleading guilty to charges like drunk driving, providing alcohol to minors and having a concealed weapon.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said enough is enough on April 10, when he suspended Jones for the entire 2007 season, and Henry for the first 8 games of this season. Goodell also deserves credit for working with NFL Players Association chief Gene Upshaw, who supports the suspensions.

For too long there's been a double standard for high-profile athletes, in which they can get away with doing things others would be punished for as long as they produce on the field. Goodell's decisive action has sent a message to NFL players that this will no longer be the case, which is a good thing. 

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 07:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

As a golfer, I wanted to introduce my kids to the sport. To that end, I've taken them a few times to a local nine-hole course, where there is both a hitting net and a putting and chipping green that we've used. These sessions were long on fun and short on instruction.

This course happens to be a First Tee facility. The First Tee is a program open to kids of all backgrounds between the ages of 8-17 designed to introduce them to golf, and the values golf instills. After our last trip, I called the local First Tee office to find out about programs it offers in our area.

It turns out the First Tee runs 6-week clinics in the spring, summer and fall at this course which are free and run by PGA-certified professionals. I mentioned this to my 9-year-old son Graham, who wanted to give it a try.

Graham's first hour-and-a-half clinic was the Monday after the Masters, which he watched some of with me. Graham told me all about it afterward, from the hitting balls in the net and chipping to the work on his grip and stance. In short, he had a good time, and is eager to go back next week.

Programs like the First Tee are a great way to introduce kids to a sport like golf. They get instruction from certified teaching professionals while also learning more about the game and the benefits it offers. For more information on the First Tee, or to find a First Tee facility near you, go to www.thefirsttee.org. 

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 09:51 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)