Words of Wisdom

"Football is a game played with arms, legs and shoulders, but mostly from the neck up."

"Yards don't win games. It's scoring points that counts."

"Courage means to be afraid to do something and still going ahead and doing it."

"The world pities a loser but it loves a winner. Don't ever forget it - in any game you're in."

"It probably sounds farfetched now but I see the day coming when most college teams will be going by air exclusively."

"Always think three plays ahead. Then you've got the jump on them."

"They can't score if we control the ball."

"I don't know what you mean by that tired phrase 'character building.' But if you mean it was stopping boys from smoking, swearing or keeping late hours, I'm not your man."

"A football coach must pay the price for victory - that price is work and perspiration."

"One loss is good for the soul. Too many losses are not good for the coach."

"Don't do as I do, do as I say. ... A doctor advising a diabetic to avoid sugar doesn't have to follow his own advice."

"Foul and dirty play is only an honest admission that your opponent is a better man that you."

"Never tell them how many letter men you'll get coming back. Tell them how many you lost."

"Perfection in petty details is essential."

Quotations from Football Coach Quotes: The Wit, Wisdom and Winning Words of Leaders on the Gridiron, by Larry Adler

"Win one for the Gipper."

Thanks to Ronald Reagan, Pat O'Brien and Hollywood, that phrase is arguably the most famous one ever uttered in the history of football. But the former president/actor aside, the words were destined to become part of football lore. Afterall, they first said by Knute Rockne, who turned Notre Dame into a football powerhouse and remains the winningest college football coach in history. As head coach of the Fighting Irish from 1918 to 1930, he amassed a 105-12-5 record. His record-setting .881 winning percentage still stands and many of his still oft-quoted words define what it takes to be a winner.