If it weren’t for the pioneers of the sport, football would not be where it is today.

The Vince Lombardis of the world, the Bill Belichicks of the world, and many other influential figures helped grow the game. Because of this, we should never forget their legacy, their overall influence, and their words.

Here are some motivational football quotes from legendary coaches, players and other influential American figures:

“The only place that “success” comes before “work” is in the dictionary.”

—Vince Lombardi

“You can learn a line from a win and a book from a defeat.”

—Paul Brown

“When you win, nothing hurts.”

—Joe Namath

“Anyone can support a team that is winning – it takes no courage. But to stand behind a team to defend a team when it is down and really needs you, that takes a lot of courage.”

—Bart Starr

“Don’t give up at half time. Concentrate on winning the second half.”

—Paul Bear Bryant

“Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence…If you’re in control, they’re in control.”

—Tom Landry

“Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble.”

—John Madden

“Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.”

—Mike Ditka

“If you are afraid of confrontation, you are not going to do very well.”

—Bill Parcells

“Set your goals high, and don’t stop til you get there” –

—Bo Jackson

“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be.”

—Tom Landry

“You fail all the time, but you aren’t a failure until you start blaming someone else.”

—Bum Phillips

“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The OPPORTUNITY to play.”

—Mike Singletary

“I think the thing about that was I was always willing to work; I was not the fastest or biggest player but I was determined to be the best football player I could be on the football field and I think I was able to accomplish that through hard work.”

—Jerry Rice

“I’ve always tried to coach people the way I would like to be coached; positively and encouragingly rather than with criticism and fear…I’ve tried to be as fair as possible.”

—Tony Dungy

“Excuses are the tools of the incompetent.”

—Mike Tomlin

“Every experience, good or bad, you have to learn from it.”

—Patrick Mahomes

“To me, football is so much about mental toughness, it’s digging deep, it’s doing whatever you need to do to help a team win and that comes in a lot of shapes and forms.”

—Tom Brady

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

—Mark Twain

“Failure is the only opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” 

—Henry Ford

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees difficulty in every difficulty.”

—Winston Churchill

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2020 Uniform Frenzy Contest

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To enter, all you have to do is order at least one football uniform by February 29, 2020 – that’s it! Learn more about our Uniform Frenzy contest here.