INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Colts coach Tony Dungy has written a children's book he hopes will inspire kids to follow their big dreams.
"You Can Do It!" tells the story of a young Dungy, who has found a passion for sports, and his two sisters, who are interested in medicine. But Dungy's younger brother Linden remains undecided on what he should do with his life. Instead of following Dungy into athletics, Linden became interested in dentistry and eventually became a dentist.
"It's a book about parents encouraging their kids to dream and directing kids in the right way - and just family interaction and faith," Dungy told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. "All that plays into a young person's development."
Dungy's first book, "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life," was published last summer and became a best-seller just months after the Colts won the 2007 Super Bowl. It seemed to make a difference for some families, Dungy said.
"We just got so many calls and cards from people that said they read this chapter or that chapter to their teenagers and were able to have some lines of communication opened that way," he said. "That was kind of inspiring."
But writing a children's book was a different from writing for adults, the Super Bowl-winning coach said. There were drawings to plan with illustrator Amy June Bates and decisions to make on what ages would benefit most from the book.
Dungy hopes parents can read it to younger children, while those ages 8 or above can likely read it themselves.
"It turned out pretty well," Dungy said. "It's been fun."
Dungy was in New York Wednesday for book readings, and was scheduled for Indianapolis-area appearances on Thursday.
Dungy has considered doing other book projects, possibly one geared toward teenagers. But he said his main goal now is the same as many NFL coaches: taking his team to another Super Bowl.
