Football and leadership — learning leadership from coaches in the NFL.

I have been a football fan since I was about 8 years old when I watched a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. From that point on, I was a Cowboys’ fan.

Over the course of the years, however, I have come to enjoy watching football from a leadership perspective. Of course, the Dallas Cowboys had Tom Landry. And living in central PA, this is Pittsburgh Steelers’ country. The Steelers have an incredible leadership tradition with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher who coached the Steelers for a combined 37 seasons and winning five Super Bowls. Mike Tomlin has some big shoes to fill!

There have been several books written by NFL head coaches. I’ve read a few of them including, Think Like A Champion by Mike Shanahan and Finding a Way to Win by Bill Parcells.

Toward the end of the 2006-2007 season, I began cheering on the Indianapolis Colts. I’ve always liked Peyton Manning, a real class act, and Tony Dungy, a strong Christ-following leader. Dungy has a new book out now called Quiet Strength. I hope to read it sometime.

Who are your favorite leaders in the NFL?