Coach Tony Dungy says it’s been a ‘blessing’ to foster over 100 children
Tony Dungy, the legendary pro-life Super Bowl-winning coach, has opened up in a new book about his life fostering and adopting children. Dungy, along with his wife Lauren, wrote “Uncommon Influence: Saying Yes To A Purposeful Life” to help readers find the path God has meant for them to follow, and topics covered included their prolific journey to help children who need a family.
Tony and Lauren Dungy are parents to 11 children, eight of whom are adopted. But additionally, they have also fostered over 100 children throughout their 40 years of marriage.
“We love children; children are a passion, and we just believe that we could pour into them, and just help them, guide them through life,” Lauren told TODAY. “And we had our children; we had eight children that we adopted, and then foster children started coming into our lives. We’re currently parenting three children, and so, it’s a full household, but we enjoy it.”
TODAY noted that the couple has to be prepared to take children at any time, even in the middle of the night, and that Dungy did so, even in the midst of his NFL coaching career. “I think it’s just a matter of being prepared for them, and knowing they’re going to happen,” Tony said. “For us, that’s how it’s been when we registered as foster parents. That’s the first thing that happened. ‘Hey, we got an emergency situation, can you do this?’ And, you know, you have to say yes, we’re willing.”
Lauren added, “We made that decision early on, that when we were going to foster children, we wouldn’t say no, because we know the children are in crisis, and they need a home. They need stability. They need love. So we opened our door to the kids, and we’ve had over 100 children walk through our door.”
The Dungys also run the Dungy Family Foundation together, which focuses on improving communities through educational and financial support. Tony Dungy has also been an outspoken advocate for life, arguing especially against those who use Christianity to defend abortion.
In an interview with Air 1 Radio, the Dung’s spoke more about how saying yes to children is part of their mission to say yes to God in their lives.
“It’s been a rewarding experience,” Lauren said. “We’ve been fostering for over 30 years and currently we have three children in our care. And, along with the fostering, we have adopted children as well. We have eight kids under our roof that are adopted – ages 21 to 6 – so it’s been a busy household, but we enjoy it. It’s a blessing, and we believe that we’re being obedient to God’s calling on our lives.”
Tony also added that in today’s secular culture, embracing God’s path may be looked down upon by some, but it can have a positive effect on the world. “We just think that Christianity – people can say ‘It’s weird.’ People can say it’s different. But Jesus said, ‘We go down a narrow road,’ and the path is not the broad path that the whole world is on,” he said. “So, we choose to look at that as not weird or different but, uncommon. And then with influence, we wanted to let people know that they can have an influence in their world in a lot of different ways.”
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