College football's annual bowl season is full of surprises and spectacular moments. Famous coaches have had some memorable remarks about American's most popular sport, and here are some of them by legendary Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi, who many consider to be the best of the best.
Lombardi's head coaching record in the National Football League was second to none. In 9 years with the Green Bay Packers, Lombardi's regular season won-loss percentage was 73% (96-34-6), his postseason was 90% (9-1) and his total was 75% (105-35-6).
He took a 1-10-1 team in 1958 to an NFL title in 3 years, and went on to win 5 NFL titles in 9 years (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967) and three titles consecutively. He led the Packers to the first two Super Bowl titles in 1966 and 1967.
Lombardi's discipline was legendary. A lifelong Catholic, he spent 4 years in Cathedral Preparatory Seminary to become a Catholic priest before becoming a standout football player at St. Francis Preparatory High School.
An undersized guard at 5 foot 8 and 185 pounds, he was offered and accepted a football scholarship to Fordham University in the Bronx to play for "Sleepy" Jim Crowley, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 1920s. He would become part of the "Seven Blocks of Granite" that held Fordham's opponents scoreless several times during a 25-game winning streak.
After coaching at Fordham, Lombardi became the offensive line coach for West Point under another legendary head coach, Colonel Red Blaik. Lombardi then became the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, working with defensive coordinator Tom Landry and head coach Jim Lee Howell, before becoming Green Bay's head coach in 1959.
Lombardi was 59 years old when he died of cancer in 1970. Grown men and Hall of Fame football players openly wept at his funeral.
Here are some of Vince Lombardi's best known quotes:
"If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?"
"I firmly believe than any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious."
"There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game and that is first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay and I never want to finish second again."
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence."
"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender."
"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser."
"Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit."
"If you can accept losing, you can't win."
"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."
"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."
"Success demands singleness of purpose."
"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."
"It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you're not a winner."
"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have."
"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time."
"Teamwork is what the Green Bay Packers are all about. They didn't do it for individual glory. They did it because they loved one another."
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."
"Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their player and motivate."
Here are some quotes by Lombardi's players:
"When Lombardi said 'sit down,' we didn't look for a chair." - Forrest Gregg, Hall of Fame tackle.
"He prepared us so well, and he motivated us so well, I felt he was a part of me on the field." Fuzzy Thurston.
"He pushed you to the end of your endurance and then beyond it. And if there was reserve there, well, he found that too." Henry Jordan, Hall of Fame defensive tackle.
"He made us better than we thought we could be." Jerry Kramer.
"Coach Lombardi showed me that by working hard and using my mind, I could overcome my weakness to the point that I could be one of the best." Bart Starr, Hall of Fame quarterback.
"The fear in my mind was not him but that for some reason I would not be a part of the team and be with this man." Forrest Gregg.
"He made you a believer. He told you what the other team was going to do, and he told you what you had to do to beat them, and invariably he was right." Willie Davis, Hall of Fame defensive back.
(Editor's Note: I have read and studied one of the best biographies on Lombardi: When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss, I highly recommend his book as a great read.)
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley
Ed Bagley's Blog Publishes Original Articles with Analysis and Commentary on 5 Subjects: Sports, Movie Reviews, Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, and Internet Marketing. My intention is to inform, educate, delight and motivate you the reader.
Read my articles on "How to Predict When Teams Are Overrated and Due for an Unexpected Loss", "The Sagarin Ratings: What They Are, How to Read Them and What to Do With Them" and my 14 consecutive weekly wrap-up articles on the 2007 College Football Season.
Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html
