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NFL Coach Tony Dungy’s Son Hopes to ‘Grow’ His ‘Faith More’ in College

NFL Coach Tony Dungy’s Son Hopes to ‘Grow’ His ‘Faith More’ in College

By Movieguide® Contributor

Justin Dungy, son of former NFL coach Tony Dungy, just signed up to be a Butler Bulldog.

He shared the spiritual conviction that led him to attend Indiana’s Butler University.

“Obviously, when you first think of Butler University, you think of their Final Four in basketball,” Dungy said on an April episode of “Faith On The Field.”

“But, what really helped me make that decision is knowing that I have family there, and they also have a great Athletes in Action program on campus so just really going to a place where I could develop more as a player and just being around people, strong-minded people, Christ-like people to help grow my faith more over the next four years is really what helped me make that decision.”

Movieguide® recently reported on Dungy’s decision:

After evaluating where he wanted to play in college, Justin shared his commitment to Butler.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank my Lord and savior Jesus Christ, because without him none of this is possible,” Justin wrote on X. “I would also like to thank every coach that has given me the opportunity to play for their program. Especially, Coach Aranda and the rest of the Baylor staff. This was a very tough decision, but at the end of the day, this is where God is guiding me to be.”

Butler University is located in Indianapolis, the same place where Justin’s dad led the Colts to victory in the 2007 Super Bowl.

“[I] just really believe not just me as a player, but the whole Butler football program has the potential to change the way people look at it and really change it to an athletic powerhouse,” Justin said. “Not just basketball, but coach [Mike] Uremovich and the his whole coaching staff is great, and I believe that they have the tools to help me take that extra step as a football player.”

Justin felt challenged to choose a college, and it tested his faith. But it also strengthened it.

“I would say these last couple of months are where I’ve been the strongest [in my faith],” Justin continued. “I wasn’t getting recruited and I thought my days of football were over. I went to my mom after we lost and I started crying.”

“I told her it’s over, I have nothing going for me. When I started getting offers, that’s where it just like hit me, where my mom was telling me: ‘God has a plan for you. It’s all going to work out.’”

Not long after that, God’s plan started to unfold.

“And just seeing God’s plan for me come together just told me that. But it’s unimaginable what he can do. A couple days ago, I wasn’t going anywhere, and now I can pick from a bunch of schools that really want me,” he explained.

“And it’s just a dream I’ve been having since a kid. God makes it happen. Just have to stay committed,” Justin said.

Now, he is a full believer in the promise of God’s plans. He put Jeremiah 29:11 on his Instagram bio as a reminder of that promise.

The passage reads: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Tony, who was the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl and the first African American head coach to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, recently spoke at a high school about Justin and how he has many more opportunities than his ancestors did.

He said, “He was 10 years old when we went to the Clemson-Alabama national championship game in Tampa, and I’m explaining to him the history of athletics and integration, and how Alabama football had to deal with this and what it is, and now he’s going to have the opportunity if he was his granddad‘s age, he would only have one or two schools that he could go to in the state of Florida, now he can go anywhere, and that was the inspiration behind this.”


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