Friday, December 3, 2010

The Wisdom of Coach Vince Lombardi

Not surprisingly, athletic coaches have had a lot to say about personal strength. In addition to physical ability and talent in the sport, coaches need their players to exhibit various forms of inner strength.

I'm a big college basketball fan, and in the past I've shared some of my favorite quotes from John Wooden and Mike Krzyzewski.

Another often-quoted sports celebrity is the late Vince Lombardi (1913-1970), legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers. Having won the first two Super Bowls, the trophy of that championship is named after him. Here are some of his more memorable thoughts...

On CHARACTER - "After the cheers have died down and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written and after you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has been placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare has faded, the enduring things that are left are: the dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory, and the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live."

On COMPOSURE - “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”

On COOPERATION - "Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."

On EFFORT - "There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything."

On EMPOWERMENT - "Leaders aren't born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal."

On EXCELLENCE - “You block and tackle better than the team you’re playing, you win.”

On FOCUS - "Success demands singleness of purpose."

On INITIATIVE - “It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever—the one who recognizes the challenges and does something about it.”

On PERSEVERANCE - “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”

On SELF-CONFIDENCE - Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence."

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength .

No comments: