Quotes, themes, and stories the Arrowhead Warhawks fly by...

Self Understanding and Evaluation

Mirror test - All that matters is if you can look in the mirror and honestly tell the person you see there that you’ve done your best.
- John McKay, NFL and Collge Football Coach

My philosophy does not focus on whether we win or lose. Instead I concentrate on preparing ourselves to become the very best athletes we can be - both mentally and physically. We strive to gain the edge over our opponents in every possible manner - in strength, in technique, in conditioning and mental toughness. When we do this, we feel so confident that we expect to win. And we will.
- Howard E. Ferguson, Author & High School Wrestling Coach

Success is not measured by money or fame but by how you feel about your own goals and accomplishments and the time and effort you put into them.
- Willie Stargell, Major League First baseman and Coach

Stand for Something
Don’t try to perform beyond your abilities - but never perform below them.
- Frank Robinson, Major League Outfielder and Manager

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
- Steve Bartkowski, NFL Quarterback

Have the Courage of Your Convictions

Associate with people of good qualities; it’s better to be alone than in bad company. If your friends have lower standards than you do, pull them up to your level; don’t drop down to theirs.

Dare to be great!

AFTER THE CHEERS
After the cheers have died down and the stadium is empty,
After the headlines have been written and
After you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has
Been placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare has faded,
The enduring things that are left are:
The dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory, and
The dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can
To make the world a better place in which to live.
-Vince Lombardi

THE MAN IN THE GLASS
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your father or mother or wife
Whose judgement upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts the most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

You may be like Jack Horner and Chisel a plum
And you think you're a wonderful guy.
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

He's the fellow to please-never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear to the end.
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass.

 "The whole idea is to somehow get an edge. Sometimes it takes just a little extra something to get that edge, but you have to have it."
–Don Shula

 "There is no mat space for dissenters or malcontents. One must neither celebrate insanely when he wins nor sulk when he loses. He accepts victory professionally. He hates defeat, but makes no poor display of it."
–Dan Gable

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
–Theodore Roosevelt

WINNERS vs. LOSERS
When a winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong."
When a loser makes a mistake, he says, "It wasn't my fault."

A winner works harder than a loser and has more time;
A loser loser is always 'too busy' to o what is necessary.

A winner goes through a problem'
A loser goes around it, and never gets past it.

A winner makes commitments'
A loser makes promises.

A winner says, "I'm good, but not as good as I ought to be."
A losers says, "I'm not as bad as a lot of other people."

A winner listens;
A loser just waits until it's his turn to talk.

A winner respects those who are superior to him and tries to learn something from them;
A loser resents those who are superior to him and tries to find chinks in their armor.

A winner feels responsible for more than his job;
A loser says, "I only work here."

A winner says, "There ought to be a better way to do it."
A loser says, "That's the way it's always been done here."

WHAT IS CLASS?
Class never runs scared. It is sure-footed and confident in the knowledge that you can meet life head-on and handle whatever comes along.

Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps an learns from past mistakes.

Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down.

Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse.

Class can "walk with kings and keeps its virtue, and talk with crowds and keep the common touch." Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class–because he is comfortable with himself.

If you have class, you don't need much of anything else. If you don't have it, no matter what else you have–it doesn't make much difference.

There are two ways to do anything in life or sports - with class or without class. It doesn’t cost any more or take any extra time or energy to have class.

Class is being a good person, showing good sportsmanship, always taking responsibility for the consequences of your actions and being considerate of others. You have class if you show pride, have humility, poise, and display self confidence without being arrogant.

Class athletes handle victory and defeat in the same way - graciously, with their heads held high. They don’t brag in victory, or make excuses in defeat. They always praise their opponent for a job well done, and they admit their mistakes.

CHARACTER
"The answers to three questions will determine your success or failure.
1. Can people trust me to do my best?
2. Am I committed to the task at hand?
3. Do I care about other people and show it?
If the answers to all these questions are yes, there is no way you can fail."
–Lou Holtz

 "Never do anything to compromise your integrity. Anything worth achieving is worth an honorable and honest effort. There are no short-cuts to becoming a champion. You will never take any trophies or medals with you when you leave this life, but your character stays with you always. Be true to yourself, and keep in perspective the fact that even if you can' be the best athlete in your chosen sport every day...you can be your best person every day."
–Mike Reid

 "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what people think you are."
–John Wooden

 "Winning takes character. Workers get the most out of themselves. When a body has limited talent, it must muster all its resources of character to overcome adversity."
–Pete Carril

LOYALTY
"Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart absolute principle of self-sacrifice."
–Woodrow Wilson

 "Loyalty up and down the line. That's one quality an organization must have to be successful."
–Bum Phillips

"I have been telling high school and college athletes that they should all have a goal and that goal is to seek perfection in whatever they are doing. In order to do this, it takes many hours of hard work and endurance. There is no short-cut on this tough road to success. The young man must be loyal to what he is doing and to all concerned (coaches, parents and himself). I consider this one of the greatest characteristics."
–Frank McGuire

RESPECT
"I believe it is very important to show respect toward individuals who live up to their obligations and responsibilities, whether you like the individual or not. Respect is a virtue that goes far and beyond the emotion of liking."
–Reggie Jackson

"One thing I learned in football is that you must have respect. It is not so important that people like you, but it is an absolute that you have their respect."
–Jim Brown

DEDICATION
"To succeed, you must be dedicated to whatever you hope to do, and you must set your mind to it completely. If you make up your mind to do something, you'll find it can almost always be done. You must seek perfection, though you may never quite attain it. Do not delude yourself with short-cuts. There are no short-cuts in reaching the goals you set for yourself."
–Ken Norton

 "No champion has ever achieved his goal without showing more dedication than the next person; working harder than the next person; making more sacrifices than the next person; training and conditioning himself more than the next person; studying harder than the next person; enjoying his final goal more than the next person."
–Doak Walker

 "You set a goal to be the best and then you work hard every hour of every day, striving to reach that goal. If you allow yourself to settle for anything less than number one, you are cheating yourself."
–Don Shula

 "The only thing that counts is your dedication to the game. You run on your own fuel; it comes from within you."
–Paul Brown

 "You have to be hungry. You have to be dedicated 100 percent to play this game."
–Giorgio Chinaglia

GOALS
"I feel that the most important step in any major accomplishment is setting a specific goal. This enables you to keep your mind focused on your goal and off the many obstacles that will arise while you're striving to do your best work."
–Kurt Thomas

 "You must have long-term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures."
–Charles Noble 

"You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential."
–Steve Garvey

DETERMINATION
"To succeed in life one must have determination and must be prepared to suffer during the process. If one isn't prepared to suffer during adversities, I don't really see how he can be successful."
–Gary Player

 "I think a lot of people get too concerned with their competition. They fall into the habit of worrying about everyone else. I don't pay attention to what others are doing. I feel strongly that if I have correct goals, and if I have the determination to keep pursuing them the best way I know how, then everything else will fall into place."
–Dan Dierdorf

 DISCIPLINE
"Discipline is the whole key to being successful. We all get 24 hours a day. It's the only fair thing, the only thing that's equal. It's up to us as to what we do with those 24 hours."
–Sam Huff

 "Discpline is part of the will. A disciplined person is one who follows the will of the who gives the orders. You teach discipline by doing it over and over, by repetition and rote."
–Vince Lombardi

 "You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good."
–Jerry West

CHANGE YOUR WEAKNESS INTO YOUR POWER
"You cannot run away from a weakness. You must sometimes fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?"
–Robert Louis Stevenson

 "A part of control is learning to correct your weaknesses. The person doesn't live who was born with everything. Sometimes he has one weak point; generally he has several. The first thing is to know your faults and then take on a systematic plan of correcting them. You know the old saying about a chain being only as strong as its weakest link. The same can be said in the chain of skills a man forges."
–Babe Ruth

CHALLENGE YOURSELF
"A winner is one who is not afraid of the challenge, who rebounds from his setbacks, and who is flexible enough to make adjustments to succeed the next time."
–Dave Winfield

 "If you want to be the person you ought to be, you've got to welcome competition."
–Bob Richards

 "I want things to be difficult. It's more fun to win with handicaps. If you have the best players and no problems and you win, it's not very interesting."
–Joe Paterno

 "When you've got good, strong competition, you drive harder."
–Roger Maris

 "The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."
–Moliere

PRIDE
"Have respect for yourself. Love yourself and realize that whatever you attempt to achieve in life is a direct reflection of you. Be proud."
–Joe Greene

"If you don't have enough pride, you're going to get your butt beat every play."
–Gale Sayers

"The first quality that makes an athlete a winner is simply pride. He has such a desire to excel that he will take enormous pains. He will work out beyond what is demanded, build his body during the off-season, guard his weight, and study the problems of his position. The second quality is toughness–doing what the job requires without worrying about the physcial consequences. A wide receiver will make the catch, untroubled by the possibility of getting blindesided. A quaterback will hold the ball until the final instant, knowing the rusher will flatten him. The winning player has no fear in doing what must be done in order to be great."
–John Madden

PRACTICE IT THE RIGHT WAY
"I only play well when I am prepared. If I don't practice the way I should, then I won't play the way I know I can."
–Ivan Lendl

 "Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn to do things the right way."
–Benjamin Franklin

 "Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily."
–Johann Christoph Von Schiller

 "Practice without improvement is meaningless."
–Chuck Knox

 CONFIDENCE
"It's never an upset if the so-called underdog has all along considered itself the better team."
–Woody Hayes

 "I'm a firm believer in quiet confidence. By that I mean knowing inwardly that you are good, and not exhibiting a boastful attitude outwardly. If an athlete doesn't believe in himself, then no one else will."
–Dick Van Arsdale

WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN OR YOU CAN'T
YOU ARE PROBABLY RIGHT
If you think you're beaten, you are;
If you think that you dare not, you don't;
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't
It's almost a cinch that you won't

If you think you'll lose, you've lost;
For out in the world you'll find
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in a state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise;
You've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
is the man who thinks he can.

DON'T QUIT
"Never give up. Never, never, never, never! Never yield in any way, great or small, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force and the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
–Sir Winston Churchill

 "People seldom want to walk over you until you lie down."
–Elmer Wheeler

 "The man who wins may have been counted out several times, but he didn't hear the referee."
–H.E. Jansen

 "When I get tired and want to stop, I'd wonder what my next opponent as doing. I'd wonder if he was still working out. I tried to visualize him. When I could see him still working, I'd start pushing myself. When I could see him in the shower, I'd push myself harder."
–Dan Gable

TEAMWORK
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Teamwork means that we share a common ideal and embrace a common goal. Regardless of our differences, we strive shoulder to shoulder, confident in one another's faith, trust and commitment. In the end, teamwork can be summed up in five short words..."we believe in each other."

 "When everyone is moving forward together, success will take care of itself."

 "The team on the top of the mountain didn't fall there."

 "Coming together is a beginning...Keeping together is progress...Working together is a success."

 "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

 "It is a fact that in the right formation, the lifting power of many wings can achieve twice the distance of any bird flying alone."

 "Trust is the emotional glue that holds every team together … in times of trial, it transforms a group of committed individuals into a team of individuals committed to each other."

"When a team of dedicated individuals makes a commitment to act as one...the sky's the limit."

 "There is no limit to what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.

SUCCESS
"It's easier to go down the mountain than up, but the view is best from the top

 "Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often and loved much, who has gained the respect of children, who leaves the world better than they found it, who has never lacked appreciation for the earth's beauty, who never fails to look for the best in others or give the best of themselves."

 "Victory happens when ten-thousand hours of training meet one moment of opportunity."

 "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
Robert Frost"

 "Success is what happens when preparation meets with opportunity."

 "Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."

 "Success is a journey, not a destination."

 "Some people dream of success...while others wake up and work hard at it."

"When you want what you've never had, you must do what you've never done."

 "Every obstacle is a stepping stone to your success."

 "Success is in the way you walk the paths of life each and every day.
It is in the little things you do, and in the things you say.
It is not in reaching heights of fame.
It is not alone in reaching goals that all men seek to claim.
Success is being big of heart, clean and broad of mind.
Success is being faithful to your friends and to the stranger kind.
Success is in your family and your teammates and what they learn from you.
Success is having character in everything you do."

ATTITUDE
 "Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but by how we react to what happens; not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst...a spark that creates extraordinary results."

OTHERS
 "Make your opponent NEVER want to play you again!"

 "Perfection can never be reached...but the pursuit of excellence can!"

 "Don't rest on what you already have achieved.  Achieve what makes you restless."

 "Don't tell me how rough the waters are, just bring the ship in!"

 "Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard!"

 "Go as far as you can see, and when you get there you'll see farther."

 "The more you give, the more you get."

 "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like WORK!"

 "Success seems to be connected with action.  Successful people keep moving.  They make mistakes, but they don't quit."

 "Believing is a fine thing, but placing those beliefs into execution is a test of strength."

 "When one doors closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which is opened for us!"

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."

 "Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."

 "If we wait for that perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive.  Mountains may not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved.

 "A vision foretells what may be ours.  With a great mental picture in mind, we begin to go from one accomplishment to another, using the materials about us only as a stepping stones to that which is higher, better and more satisfying."

 "Praise loudly, Blame softly."

 "We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

 "Tough times never last, but tough people do."

Before you ever begin to think of yourself as a great athlete, become a great person - feel good about yourself. If you want others to respect you, you must first respect yourself. Build a solid character foundation. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
-John Wooden