Tony Dungy: Today’s athletes are bolder than ever about their faith 

Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy says today’s athletes are more outspoken about their faith, inspired by a bold few who once broke the silence and opened the door for others to speak out. 

The television analyst and Super Bowl-winning coach made the comments during a wide-ranging interview with Sports Spectrum Podcast host Jason Romano, who asked Dungy his thoughts on the surge of pro and college athletes proclaiming Christ.  

“It is so gratifying,” said Dungy, an outspoken Christian whose books, including Uncommon and Quiet Strength, discuss his faith. 

“It kind of started with some of the young quarterbacks coming in the NFL – C.J. Stroud, getting up and, you know, they asked him a question, and he said: First of all, let me tell you where I’m at as a human being and as a person,” Dungy added, referencing the Houston Texans quarterback who regularly discusses his Christian faith during pre- and post-game interviews. 

“And I think that kind of emboldened other guys to share their faith,” Dungy said. “We’re seeing it in the colleges, which has been awesome to see. So it is really rewarding and fantastic.” 

Stroud is one of more than a dozen NFL quarterbacks who often mix in comments about faith with their conversations about football. Others include Buffalo’s Josh Allen, San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, Denver’s Bo Nix, Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins. Of course, that’s just the quarterbacks – many others in the league do the same. New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis, for example, is known for quoting Scripture to the media.  

Romano noted that the national championship ring for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team included a cross – a nod to the faith that was key to the team’s chemistry. 

The other major professional leagues, including the NBA,  MLB and NHL, also have players who speak openly about their faith. Guard Jaden Ivey of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons once quoted John 14:6 in a press conference, declaring that “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life.” In 2024, AJ Griffin of the Atlanta Hawks quit the NBA to become a full-time pastor.  

“To see those guys just be very, very bold about it, but also say, ‘This is who we are, and we’re not going to be offensive about it, but we’re not going to hide it. This is who we are. We love Christ, we honor Christ’ – it’s awesome to see,” Dungy told Sports Spectrum.  

Although the number of outspoken Christian athletes has grown in recent years, they aren’t the first.  

“I think in my generation, we saw Reggie White kind of say, ‘Hey, this is who I am, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Everybody else talks about what they want to talk about – I want to talk about the Lord,’” Dungy said of a tough-nosed lineman from the 1980s and 1990s who was nicknamed the “Minister of Defense.” 

“I think Reggie kind of spawned a generation that said: You know what? It’s okay to talk about your faith. And we need that.”