Famous Quotes by Lou Holtz During Football’s Annual Bowl Season

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 Lou Holtz, who some consider to be the best of the best college coaches and for good reason.

It is true that Knute Rockne won 5 more national championships at Norte Dame than Lou Holtz did at Notre Dame (Holtz led the Fighting Irish to 1 national title in 1988).

It is also true that Knute Rockne has a regular season won-loss percentage of 90% (105-12-5) at Notre Dame, and that Lou Holtz has a regular season won-loss percentage of 77% (100-30-2) at Notre Dame.

However, Lou Holtz is the only coach in NCAA history to lead 6 different programs to bowl games (William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina), and the only coach to guide 4 different programs to final top 20 rankings (North Carolina State, South Carolina twice, Arkansas 5 times and Notre Dame 7 times).

Lou Holtz became known for his quick wit and ability to inspire players. Both Knute Rockne and Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi became legendary for their ability to inspire players.

In addition to his coaching career, Holtz has gone on to author 5 books and become both a motivational speaker and television commentator.

Here are some of Lou Holtz’s best known quotes:

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.”

“Motivation is simple. You eliminate those who are not motivated.”

“The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it.”

“When all is said and done, more is said than done.”

“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”

“No one has ever drowned in sweat.”

“On this team, we’re all united in a common goal: to keep my job.”

“Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.”

“The problem with having a sense of humor is often (the) people you use it on aren’t in a very good mood.”

“In the successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention.”

“It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test.”

“If you’re bored with life-you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things-you don’t have enough goals.”

“If you burn your neighbor’s house down, it doesn’t make your house look any better.”

“You’ll never get ahead of anyone as long as you try to get even with him.”

“I think everyone should experience defeat at least once during their career. You learn a lot from it.”

“I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.”

“If he’s got golf clubs in his truck or a camper in his driveway, I don’t hire him.”

“How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.”

“Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired.”

“A lifetime contract for a coach means if you’re ahead in the third quarter and moving the ball, they can’t fire you.”

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

“You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.”

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

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