Untitled - Fast and Furious Football

PHILOSOPHY, MOTIVATION, AND MANAGEMENT 203
Mountaineer. He climbs his way to the top ofthe
wel]. Our biggest game is Pitt, so the exy at the
top who ke€ps pounding his hands and making
him Elip back down is a Panther. The Mountajn
eerclimbs up and gets poundedback down about
500 tim€s. But the 50lst time, he climbs up, and
the Panther gets tired ofhittinghim. That's when
the Mountaineer grabs him and chokes him to
death.
That sounds a little fadetched, but our kids
start to understand about playing football and
being tenacious. Hanging on with great effort is
the name ofthe game.
Number three,I want a closs.', fbotball team.I
dont want a bunch ofbums.I want a team.I want
guys who un derstand they reprcsenl themselves,
their family, our unil'ersity, and our coaching staf
When we tmvel, everyone wears a coat and a
tie. When we eat, everyone waars a coat and a
tie.In the dining hall, nobody sits down until th€
captain says grace. Today, ea1Tings are a big fashion,
and that's fine, but on Fridays they take them
out and they don't put them in until after tha
game. They understand that we're not harassingan)on+bur
Ihe) undFrsrand $ hdt $pretrling
to do. We're trying to be a classy lootball t€am-
A Lot of times whan we go away fron home,
nobody tells us we're very good, but they always
tell us how well behaved our kids are. That's what
we'rc trying to teacb our kids. We'rc in the educdl
ion businpss, nor r hp enLeflainmFrr busi.lesh.
Lastly, with our style is confidence. We want
our kids to believe before they ever take the field
thatthelrc soins to win.Ifyou don't believe that,
gang, you have a major, major problem. We won
11 lbotball games this year and we wcm picked
lifth in our league. Five years ago, we also won
11 games. So I know some ofthis stuff works if
yolr work at it long onough and hard enotgh.
I love theX's and O's.I don't think therc's any
question they'rc important. But, ifyou are fundamentally
sound and youl kids arc motivated
and they have gr€at morale, you'vc gol a gleat
OuI goals are not fancy. Our goal this year was
simple- .just play and play had. Th€ only timc
the scoreboard matt€rs is atthe end ofthe game.
We don't know which play is going to be the onc
that wins it, so play hard on €ve{r play until the
end. You play as had as you can on every singl€
plav.
Every decision I make is based on ho{' it is
goingto afibct team morale. Thatmeans the flrst
stringquafie$ack, the thid string quart€rback,
the startingtackle, th€ foudh st nstackle. They
have to understand their roles on the football
team, and how importantthey arc to the success
ofthat football team.
If you've eot 100 guys on your team and they
don't all feel like th€y're impodanl, then Jou
aren't going to win them all. I boli€ve that's th€
iob of the hoad coach. He has got to do a good job
making sure that all his kids belicve that they'rc
special.
We also work hard at bringing our team together.
One thingwe do is have a superstars contest.
Our kids love it. That's the first thing they
ask me when we eet back tosether each season,
"Ooach, when are we having the superstars con
test" It's fun. We have a dance. Wo have a ea
sino night.We do something at th€ bo$4ingaUey.
things to have tun as a team.
1991 Pra&\dings. C@ch Nehlen is hedd..trch o t West Viryinid U hir.tsit!_