I told them my system was based on the “ant plan,” that I’d gotten the idea watching a colony of ants in Africa during the war. A whole bunch of ants working toward a common goal.
Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.
I think I’m telling the truth. I sat by Ray Perkins at the Hall of Fame dinner in New York, and at that time he didn’t know he was our coach and I didn’t either.
Georgia Tech beat us and Mississippi Southern tied us last year, and Texas beat us after we had the game won. We only played about five games the way we were capable of playing and lost one of those.
It’s been years since I’ve had a real input in the game anyway. For this game, I’ve just tried to keep all the other stuff away from the players and coaches.
I want to make sure I don’t interfere with the success of that team next year. I don’t see any way I could go to practice like most of ’em do, and not hurt the team. I’d go nuts if I tried doing that.
I hope to get out before they start football next year.
Back 12 years ago, when Dr. Mathews was president here, we had a plan that when I got ready to quit, we’d bring a certain guy in and he’d take over that day and I’d leave. But as time wore on, I realized that wouldn’t have been good at all.
In a crisis, don’t hide behind anything or anybody. They’re going to find you anyway.
It’s nice to have the opportunity to play for so much money, but it’s nicer to win it.
I’m no miracle man. I guarantee nothing but hard work.
My approach to the game has been the same at all the places I’ve been. Vanilla. The sure way. That means, first of all, to win physically. If you got eleven on a field, and they beat the other eleven physically, they’ll win. They will start forcing mistakes. They’ll win in the fourth quarter.
Scout yourself. Have a buddy who coaches scout you.
Nearly every coach I’ve talked with tells me that the attention you get from media and other people is the thing you miss most. I don’t know if that’s right.
I’m no genius, but I’m a damn good football coach.
If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.
I’ve made so many mistakes that if I don’t make the same mistakes over, we’re going to come pretty close to winning.
You try to make your team do something they’re not capable of and you get murdered.
I think the most important thing of all for any team is a winning attitude. The coaches must have it. The players must have it. The student body must have it. If you have dedicated players who believe in themselves, you don’t need a lot of talent.
I didn’t have a thing to do with picking a coach, and didn’t want to. But I didn’t think they’d pick one I didn’t like.
Set goals – high goals for you and your organization. When your organization has a goal to shoot for, you create teamwork, people working for a common good.