Browsing around on the Net during my lunch break, I came across this site: Link.
I'm with the author in that you can probably reorder them any way you like. They're all great. My favorites:
19. John Wooden, UCLA Bruins
“Make sure that team members know they are working with you, not for you.”
18. Sparky Anderson, Cincinnati Reds
“People who live in the past generally are afraid to compete in the present. I’ve got my faults, but living in the past is not one of them. There’s no future in it.”
14. Jim Valvano, N.C. State Wolfpack
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
12. Steve Spurrier, Florida Gators
Telling Gator fans that a fire at Auburn’s football dorm had destroyed 20 books: “But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn’t been colored yet.”
11. Knute Rockne, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
“One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it.”
3. Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers
“I’ve never known a man worth his salt who, in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind … the discipline. I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour - this greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”
2. Woody Hayes, Ohio State Buckeyes
“I’ve had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven’t run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can’t outwork you, then smarts aren’t going to do them much good. That’s just the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have.”
And like the author, I agree that it'[s awfulyl hard to beat this one:
1. Jim Valvano, N.C. State Wolfpack
”To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”
Side note: We probably all remember as he was giving his speech, a director in the background flashed him the “30 second” sign to let him know his speech was winding down. Valvano responded as only he could …
“Like I care about that screen right now, huh?” he said with a big smile and a chuckle. “I got tumors all over my body. I’m worried about some guy in the back going ‘30 seconds’? Hey, finabla, pal!”
I'm with the author in that you can probably reorder them any way you like. They're all great. My favorites:
19. John Wooden, UCLA Bruins
“Make sure that team members know they are working with you, not for you.”
18. Sparky Anderson, Cincinnati Reds
“People who live in the past generally are afraid to compete in the present. I’ve got my faults, but living in the past is not one of them. There’s no future in it.”
14. Jim Valvano, N.C. State Wolfpack
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
12. Steve Spurrier, Florida Gators
Telling Gator fans that a fire at Auburn’s football dorm had destroyed 20 books: “But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn’t been colored yet.”
11. Knute Rockne, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
“One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it.”
3. Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers
“I’ve never known a man worth his salt who, in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind … the discipline. I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour - this greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”
2. Woody Hayes, Ohio State Buckeyes
“I’ve had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven’t run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can’t outwork you, then smarts aren’t going to do them much good. That’s just the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have.”
And like the author, I agree that it'[s awfulyl hard to beat this one:
1. Jim Valvano, N.C. State Wolfpack
”To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”
Side note: We probably all remember as he was giving his speech, a director in the background flashed him the “30 second” sign to let him know his speech was winding down. Valvano responded as only he could …
“Like I care about that screen right now, huh?” he said with a big smile and a chuckle. “I got tumors all over my body. I’m worried about some guy in the back going ‘30 seconds’? Hey, finabla, pal!”
Brilliant.
