I have never met Tony Dungy.

     I have seen him in person just once - when he spoke at the Fellowship Of Christian Athletes banquet in Champaign a while back.

     Yet, I felt a certain sadness this week when the Colts coach announced his retirement.  The NFL needs heroes.   There are too many stories about the NFL that makes one cringe:  guns, drugs, dogs, steroids, egos gone wild, gambling, etc.

     And, yes, there are so many who seem to talk the talk - while failing to walk the walk - as the old cliche goes.   Tony Dungy is the real thing.

     In the foreward to Dungy's book, "Quiet Strength," actor Denzel Washington writes:

     "It has been said that we get good at whatever we practice.  Coach Dungy practices proactive faith.  This faith is not a gimmick or magic or the will of a strong mind.  It is not a short-order request to receive what we want when we want it.  Proactive faith is receiving everything that has been promised to us by God's Word for His purpose and in His timing.

     "Because of his proactive faith, Tony Dungy has been able to climb many mountains.  Great achievements require great effort, and Coach Dungy's greatest accomplishment is that through it all, he has stayed obedient to God's will.

     "For him to have been rejected, ignored, and denied - yet stiil maintain dignity, strength, and hope - is a testament to his unwavering faith."

     Tony Dungy, of course, is entitled to retire and spend more time with his family - do whatever he chooses to do - he has earned it.  

     But, the NFL needs more people like him.  The media needs to write about, talk about, take photos of - men and women like Tony Dungy.

     Let us hear more interviews with Dungy-like folks and less with the rich and pampered.  The ones who make a tackle, pound their chest, and look to the sky - as if to say, "Thank you, Lord."

     As I wrote at the beginning - I have never met Tony Dungy.  But, I will miss him.

     Thank you, Tony.  You are my hero.