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