Gridiron Inspiration 50 American Football Quotes
Share
Legendary Coaches
- “Football is like life – it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.” – Vince Lombardi
- “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lombardi
- “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” – Vince Lombardi
- “You fail all the time. That’s how you succeed.” – Bill Walsh
- “Don’t expect to win every game, but always go into every game expecting to win.” – Woody Hayes
- “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson
- “Teamwork is what makes common people capable of uncommon results.” – Bill Walsh
- “If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?” – Joe Namath
- “Adversity makes you stronger—always has and always will.” – Rex Ryan
- “The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.” – Vince Lombardi
Iconic Players
- “I never worry about the problem. I worry about the solution.” – Shaquille O’Neal* (though a basketball legend, this applies to any competitor on the gridiron)
- “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing.” – Pelé* (universal inspiration)
- “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan* (mindset for every athlete)
- “I’m not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well.” – Tom Brady
- “Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what you’re doing.” – Peyton Manning
- “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Archie Griffin
- “You play to win the game.” – Herm Edwards
- “Pressure? I welcome it.” – Ray Lewis
- “I’m always looking for ways to improve.” – Jerry Rice
- “When you win, nothing hurts.” – Joe Namath
- “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day… but it will pass.” – Lance Armstrong* (true for any athlete)
- “A champion is simply someone who did not give up when they wanted to.” – Tom Landry
- “We’re here to take care of one thing, and that’s business.” – Walter Payton
- “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King*
- “I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.” – Nadia Comăneci*
Teamwork & Leadership
- “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller*
- “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson*
- “Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.” – Bear Bryant
- “Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you.” – Eddie Robinson
- “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
- “Leaders eat last.” – Simon Sinek*
- “Play every down like it’s your last.” – Emmitt Smith
- “The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.” – James Cash Penney*
- “The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.” – Joe Paterno
- “A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.” – Simon Sinek*
Motivation & Resilience
- “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke*
- “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill*
- “Don’t count the days; make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali*
- “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky*
- “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” – Vince Lombardi
- “Discipline is doing what you hate to do but doing it like you love it.” – Mike Shanahan
- “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” – Lou Holtz
- “It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort.” – Jillian Michaels*
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau*
- “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb*
Victory & Perseverance
- “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” – Vince Lombardi
- “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” – Michael Phelps*
- “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.” – Vince Lombardi
- “If you’re not first, you’re last.” – Ricky Bobby* (Talladega Nights)
- “To win without risk is to triumph without glory.” – Pierre Corneille*
