Superbowl 41 is now in the record books both as a football game and as a history making event. Dubbed the "Soul Bowl" in some parts of black radio because it featured the first black coaches to reach the Superbowl, was played on the 1st Sunday in Black History Month and featured Prince for the halftime show. Tony Dungy, beloved Colts coach is now the first black coach to win a Superbowl and his success will undoubtedly open doors for other black coaches in the league as it has in the years leading up to this moment.I noted with interest that Dungy made a point of downplaying the black history moment XLI was and instead took pains to emphasize his Christian identity and that of his opponent and friend Lovie Smith. He boldly declared upon winning both the AFC championship and then the Superbowl that God was the architect of these victories.
I noted with an equal amount of interest the relative lack of interest by the press in his Christian identity. Far more coverage was devoted to his black identity than to his faith. This aspect of Dungy's life did not get a lot of direct coverage, and was referred to mostly generically via references to him as a "man of faith" or to his "integrity".
Nonetheless, Coach Dungy took this opportunity to raise up the name of Christ and proclaim the primacy of Jesus to his life and no doubt in the process was reaching people who otherwise may not have thought about God or salvation or their eternal destiny. I'm proud of his accomplishment as both a black man and a Christian man. Go Colts!
