Untitled - Fast and Furious Football
Untitled - Fast and Furious Football
Untitled - Fast and Furious Football
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PHII,OSOPHY, MOTIVATION, AND I&NAGTMXNT 18<br />
on they're going to have to make some deosrons<br />
more important than wheth er theyre gonna block<br />
or tackle somebodtr<br />
Loyatty<br />
I believe in loyalty, loyalty to yourseu <strong>and</strong> loyalty<br />
to those who depend on you. The geatest example<br />
ofthat I\e ever been around was manyyears ago<br />
when Texas A&M was trying to hire me. I was<br />
going to help Bear Bryant coach in the East-West<br />
Shrine Game.<br />
He was going to be the head coach. He'd just<br />
b€come th€ \.inningest coach in history in Divi-<br />
Bion I; he was the greatest of all time. He <strong>and</strong> I<br />
had coached in some all-star games beforc, <strong>and</strong><br />
when they asked him to be the head coach, he<br />
said he'd do it if I'd come-because he kn€w he<br />
would have me do all the work.<br />
I got out to San Francisco <strong>and</strong> met him at the<br />
Shrine Hospitalwe wercvisiting. I said,'l've got<br />
to talk to you, coach." He said,'Yeah,I been reading<br />
the pap€rs about yor. You <strong>and</strong> I better sit<br />
down <strong>and</strong> have a litUe talk." I said, "Great, as<br />
soon as we get back to the hotel." He said, "I'11<br />
give you a call."<br />
He called <strong>and</strong> carne down to my suite, sat down,<br />
<strong>and</strong> started to talk. He looked over <strong>and</strong> said,<br />
"Aren't you gonna offer me a d nk" I got a bottle<br />
ofbourbon. He potred himselfa d nk <strong>and</strong> said,<br />
"Texas A&M wants to hire you, eh I'll never forget<br />
when I was down therc."<br />
He went on <strong>and</strong> on. He told stoies <strong>and</strong> rcminisced<br />
about all his backeround <strong>and</strong> his coaching.<br />
Finally after about an hour <strong>and</strong> a half, he<br />
looked ovff at me <strong>and</strong> said, "Well, Bo, we\e talked<br />
about you enough. Now we're gonna talk about<br />
I said, "Wlat kind ofproblems do you have" I<br />
thought he was gonna say something about his<br />
h€alth. But he said, "Bo, I don't want to go back<br />
to the office. I don't want to call the ofFce. I don't<br />
want to recluit one more kid;I want to quit."<br />
I said, "Bear, everybody in the world expects<br />
you to quit at your aee. You've just broken the<br />
rccord. You've done everything yol1 could possi<br />
bly do. Its time lor you to quit. Why dont you<br />
just go ahead <strong>and</strong> do it" So I put on a little show.<br />
I grabbed the phone <strong>and</strong> sai d, "Here, lefs call your<br />
president ght now."<br />
He said, "Oh, no. Itt not that easy. You'rc gonna<br />
find that out some day I've got 47 people back<br />
there thai I hircd at the Univedity ofAlabama.<br />
What's gonna happen to them jfI quit"<br />
You know the story: He went back <strong>and</strong> coached<br />
again. He didn'twantto. Hewas sick, <strong>and</strong>he was<br />
old <strong>and</strong> tired. He coached one morc year, finally<br />
quit, <strong>and</strong> soon afterward was dead.<br />
That, to me, demonstrated loyalty. He<br />
wouldn'tjust walk out on hisjob.It wasn't that<br />
easy. Now, gentlemen, I call that loyalty. I see<br />
gxys flyinc around. jumping arnund. leaving<br />
people sittins cold <strong>and</strong> not knowins what<br />
they're doins. Bryant couldn't do that. Wh€n<br />
he finally did leave,I'm sure there were people<br />
who were out in the cold.<br />
tntegfity<br />
I believe in honesty <strong>and</strong> int€gity As you d€al with<br />
your pl ayers <strong>and</strong> your coaches <strong>and</strong> everybody else<br />
connected with football, gentlemen, you must be<br />
honest <strong>and</strong> you must do it with integdty.<br />
I don't feel sorry for those people who g€t<br />
caught <strong>and</strong> put on probation. I don't feel sorry for<br />
people who get the death penalty. We have rules<br />
<strong>and</strong> rcgulations we have to opemte under, <strong>and</strong><br />
when you break those rules you must pay the<br />
price.<br />
There's enough criticism at everylevel across<br />
the country that we as coaches cannot afford<br />
to operate any otherwaythan witb honesty <strong>and</strong><br />
integrity. That's yourjob, <strong>and</strong> if you can't win<br />
legitimately that way, maybe you shouldn't<br />
If) ou re In a sirualion where I great .eason i"<br />
winning half your games, realize it, <strong>and</strong> nake<br />
sure the people around you realize it. We must<br />
conductou$elves so that we are above reproach.<br />
Thats the only way to sall your progmm.<br />
And that last thine I believe is that when we<br />
coach, every single one ofour playeN must feel,<br />
when his career is ended, that it was one ofthe<br />
most meaninetul exp€riences he's ever had or ever<br />
will have. Ifit is not, then we'rc at fault.<br />
All of us coach for on€ reason, <strong>and</strong> only one<br />
r€ason: what efect it bas on the guy we coach. I<br />
don't mind filling that stadium at Michigan. I<br />
don't mind making millions of dollaN. But I'm<br />
gonnatell'emone thing:We're only gonna do it if<br />
it's in the best interests ofthose guys who play<br />
That's important. If they come back <strong>and</strong> say,<br />
"Hey, tbis was the greatest thing that ever hap<br />
pened to me," then it was all worth it.<br />
1989 Pro@dinss. Coach Schembechler uas h.ad caach at the Uniuercit! ol Mi.higan