What would Dungy do with a bunch of stamps?

Tampa columnist HOOPER E-mail: Click here Archive

© St. Petersburg Times
published January 16, 2002

My only goal on Tuesday was to get to One Buc Place well before 10:30 a.m. for the final Tony Dungy press conference.

It was sure to be crowded, with satellite trucks and cars lining both sides of the street. Seats were bound to be at premium in the offensive meeting room, which typically becomes cramped at a normal weekly conference.

Anyone who knows me, however, knows I was running late. Friends jokingly say I operate on Hoopertime, which tends to be seven to 10 minutes behind Eastern Standard Time.

Complicating matters was the fact that my older son's lunch was sitting in the refrigerator instead of at his school. My initial reaction was to leave it there and teach him a lesson about being forgetful. He likely would pick through the cafeteria selections, leave unsatisfied and have the afternoon-long hunger pangs to sharpen his memory.

But then I thought, "What would Tony Dungy Do?"

This is the influence the former Bucs coach has had on me. I helped cover the team for the Times for four years, and of all the things I took from that experience, the most profound was the example Dungy set by carrying himself in a professional and personable manner every day.

Don't get me wrong -- he didn't turn this sinner into a saint. Hoopertime wouldn't exist if I was truly like Dungy. Through the years, however, he communicated his philosophy about family values, about loyalty and about consistency. Sometimes he did it by explaining how he helped his team deal with adversity. Sometimes he did it by accepting responsibility for the team's failures -- even when we knew it wasn't his fault.

He never preached, never cajoled. He led with even words and simple but irrefutable logic.

So every now and then, I find myself wondering how would Tony deal with a situation, particularly when it involves my kids. Me and the other guys on the beat once joked we should get shirts that say WWTD (What Would Tony Do) instead of WWJD.

I knew the answer to my Tuesday morning dilemma right away. For a guy no longer in sports, attending the press conference was a desire, not a requirement. And I couldn't imagine Tony putting a personal desire ahead of a family need. I grabbed the lunch and rushed off to the school.

The Florida Aquarium is having a farewell party for outgoing executive director Jeff Swanagan Jan. 24, which made me wonder how the search is going for a replacement. Well, on Tuesday the elective committee appointed current chairman of the board Stephen J. Fryer as the interim executive director/CEO. It also retained the services of Hyde Park-based Search Advisors International to find a new director.

MLR Entertainment/Creative Sports is having an appreciation party and mixer Thursday at Pop City. For several years, Michael L. Reid has been putting together road trips for fans, whether it's to Atlanta for a Bucs-Falcons games, Tallahassee for FAMU's homecoming or Orlando for the Magic-Lakers battle.

What's a stamper? I never knew until I talked to Terry Holtsinger, owner of Tamp-a-Stamp. Stamping is one of the hottest crafts going, and people have been doing it at Holtsinger's store for five years. She started on Kennedy and then expanded to a bigger shop on Westshore Boulevard a year ago.

Basically, you use rubber art stamps to create art work. Patterns are formed and then enhanced with colored chalk, markers, bows, glitter and beads.

It's a business and a passion for Holtsinger, and an outlet for anyone who takes up the hobby. Now it's a source of joy for the men and women of the U.S. Navy's USS Port Royal.

Vicki Fricot's daughter is an officer on the ship, and noted to her mom that the 450-plus sailors don't have any greeting cards to send home to families and friends. So volunteers sponsored by Tamp-a-Stamp have been making a variety of cards to send to their adopted ship. From all reports, the cards have been incredibly popular. The last box of cards lasted all of 15 minutes according to Fricot's daughter.

The group is scheduled to meet again Feb. 16, but stampers are also invited to make cards at home and bring them in to the store. Classes for beginning stampers also are available. Call 839-6588 for more information.

In case you were wondering, I actually made it to Dungy's press conference with a few minutes to spare. I shook his hand, wished him well and marveled at his composure. To the very end, he was leading by example.

- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or hooper@sptimes.com.

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