Storm Drive or
Destiny Driven?
By Samuel Rodriguez
After a career spent as a coaching
assistant with various college and
NFL teams, Chuck Pagano became
the Colts’ head coach in 2012.
Unfortunately, only three weeks into
the regular season, the unthinkable
happened: the rookie coach was
diagnosed with acute promyelocytic
leukemia. Forced to step away from
his dream job, Coach Pagano faced
weeks of chemotherapy treatments
and an uncertain future.
Confined to his hospital room, Pagano
nonetheless continued to coach
from his bedside, often emailing and
texting players as well as members of
his coaching staff. Drawing on their
Christian faith, he and his wife, Tina,
refused to succumb to fear.
D u r i n g P a g a n o ’s t r e a t m e n t a n d
recovery, Bruce Arians, the team’s
offensive coach and himself a cancer
survivor, stepped into the leader’s role.
The team already faced the daunting
challenge of turning around their
previous 2–14 record and breaking in
a rookie quarterback. With their new
coach sidelined, it seemed likely the
Colts would endure another uneven
year with a losing record.
But something happened as their
coach’s battle off the field galvanized
the team: they began winning, both on
and off the field. Despite significant
adversity, the Colts finished the regular
season with an 11–5 record and won
a spot in the playoffs, far exceeding
what most experts had predicted.
In addition to winning game after game
as underdogs, the Colts also helped
form CHUCKSTRONG, a nonprofit
dedicated to raising money for cancer
Solutions • 51