Sports & Teamwork: Coaching Quotes

"Listen, if you start worrying about the people in the stands, before too long you're up in the stands with them"

Tommy Lasorda, Coach

"People say you can't go out and eat with your players. I say why not?"

Tommy Lasorda, Coach

"There are few secrets in football. So execute"

Hank Stram, Athlete

"There are times I might coach one or two workouts a year when the regular coach gets caught in traffic"

Mark Spitz, Athlete

"Well, my thoughts on American swimming are that our prospects look favorable, but we may not have as strong a showing in the gold medal count as in previous Olympics. But I am not coaching"

Mark Spitz, Athlete

"When a batter swings and I see his knees move, I can tell just what his weaknesses are, then I just put the ball where I know he can't hit it"

Satchel Paige, Athlete

"I'm not going to make it the all - everything. Our (the Saints) goal is to get better, make the playoffs and win the Super Bowl, but I'm not gonna anguish over it like I have in the past"

Mike Ditka, Coach

"Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don't move"

Satchel Paige, Athlete

"Growing up as an athlete, I started skating very young. My parents didn't know anything about the sport, so they went with the flow. I had two great coaches who gave great advice and gave guidelines for my parents. My parents let the coaches dictate what was going on on the ice"

Kristi Yamaguchi, Athlete

"I have been coaching recently. I coached high school basketball in Arizona, and I hope that more opportunities become available"

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Athlete

"While the coach is entitled to celebrate the team's victories, there is a manner and a way of doing so without aggravating the opponent"

Diego Maradona, Athlete

"I'm not desperate, but I know that some day I'll be the coach again of some team"

Diego Maradona, Athlete

"I'd give my life to be the national team coach"

Diego Maradona, Athlete

"I certainly have an advantage over some because I can pass on so much from the World Cups I played in"

Diego Maradona, Athlete

"Selecting the right person for the right job is the largest part of coaching"

Phil Crosby, Author

"Approach the game with no preset agendas and you'll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts"

Phil Jackson, Coach

"It's very important that you focus on winning games and being consistent down the stretch. I think that's what we're focused on. All of the other stuff about who wins and who loses and how many wins do we need, if we're focusing on that, then that's not good"

Mike Singletary, Athlete

"I've really gained an appreciation for what coaches do since I returned to the NFL"

Mike Singletary, Athlete

"I feel that a great coach is one that has a vision, sets a plan in place, has the right people in place to execute that plan and then accepts the responsibility if that plan is not carried out"

Mike Singletary, Athlete

"Every day I've got to get up and make a decision. I have an opportunity every day to affect young men and the coaches that are around me, the entire organization and the entire community"

Mike Singletary, Athlete

"Momentum? Momentum is the next day's starting pitcher"

Earl Weaver, Coach

"The job of arguing with the umpire belongs to the manager, because it won't hurt the team if he gets thrown out of the game"

Earl Weaver, Coach

"Coaches are an integral part of any manager's team, especially if they are good pinochle players"

Earl Weaver, Coach

"A manager should stay as far away as possible from his players. I don't know if I said ten words to Frank Robinson while he played for me"

Earl Weaver, Coach

"Players have responsibility, and if they don't do their job, certain things happen. Coaches have responsibility. If they don't do their job, things happen"

Mike Singletary, Athlete

"Our quarterback is going to be Alex Smith"

Mike Singletary, Athlete

"Players respond to coaches who really have their best interests at heart"

Mike Singletary, Athlete

"In high school, in sport, I had a coach who told me I was much better than I thought I was, and would make me do more in a positive sense. He was the first person who taught me not to be afraid of failure"

Mike Krzyzewski, Coach

"I've tried to handle winning well, so that maybe we'll win again, but I've also tried to handle failure well. If those serve as good examples for teachers and kids, then I hope that would be a contribution I have made to sport. Not just basketball, but to sport"

Mike Krzyzewski, Coach

"I'm fortunate now that I coach at Duke University and we've won a lot. I have some kids who haven't failed that much. But when they get to college, they're going to fail some time. That's a thing that I can help them the most with"

Mike Krzyzewski, Coach

"Each group and each youngster is different. As a leader or coach, you get to know what they need!"

Mike Krzyzewski, Coach

"Actually, the Kentucky moment was better than winning the two National Championships, because it was the epitome of what I try to get from a team in a crisis situation"

Mike Krzyzewski, Coach

"I can't confirm any rumors. I'm happy doing what I'm doing. I have no interest in going back to coaching"

Jimmy Johnson, Coach

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

Knute Rockne, Coach

"One loss is good for the soul, too many losses is not good for the coach"

Knute Rockne, Coach

"I don't want a player that's content with not playing... But we wanted to play the guys that got us here"

Don Shula, Coach

"When you find your opponent's weak spot, hammer it"

John Heisman, Coach

"Generalities don't count and won't help you in football"

Knute Rockne, Coach

"If you have a coach helping you, developing your skills alongside you, that's when you're on your way to becoming not just a participant but achieving"

Lynn Davies, Athlete

"I enjoy talking to my football men, and my chemistry classes, and I feel sure that they are quite interested in what I have to say"

Knute Rockne, Coach

Page 3 of 11