Don Shula quotes: famous quotes from the former Miami Dolphins head coach – who led them to a couple of Super Bowl victories plus the NFL’s only perfect season – Don Shula.
“The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others.”
“If you’re going to take gambles, you must have one thing: self-confidence.”
“He was a great competitor and what Dan wanted to do was win, and as long as he felt he was getting the right help from the sideline, he certainly appreciated that. I coached him 13 years of his 17-year career and we put up big numbers.”
“I can’t remember missing a practice because of illness.”
“The one thing that I know is that you win with good people.”
“I have no magic formula. The only way I know to win is through hard work.”
“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.”
“I never felt I knew it all. I always felt there’s something new to learn, something new to do.”
“Success is not forever, and failure is never final.”
“My responsibility is leadership, and the minute I get negative, that is going to have an influence on my team.”
“To be successful, all you have to do is work half-days; you can work the first 12 hours or the second 12 hours.”
“It’s the start that stops most people.”
“They’re only thinking about one team when that game’s over. Before the game, they’re talking about two football teams. When the game’s over, there’s only one winner.”
“Luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.”
“The problem with most leaders today is they don’t stand for anything. Leadership implies movement toward something, and convictions provide that direction. If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
“Get the job done.”
“I can’t control the criticism. It’s something you certainly don’t appreciate, but by the same token, everybody is entitled to their opinion.”
“The one man team is a complete and total myth.”
“Strive for perfection, but settle for excellence.”
“There’s nothing wrong with setting goals, but it doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t pay attention to the day-to-day details.”
“I don’t know any other way to lead but by example.”
“As a coach, your high standards of performance, attention to detail, and, above all, how hard you work, set the stage for how your players perform.”
“You try to get the most out of the talent. Make ’em work and let ’em play.”
“I don’t want a player that’s content with not playing.”
“Losing a Super Bowl destroys all the good things that happened to get you there.”
“Lots of leaders want to be popular. I never cared about that. I want to be respected.”
“Some clubs want to win so much they’ll do anything to get it. Our approach has been just the opposite. We’ve tried to do things the right way. And the right way is abiding by the rules and regulations. I may not like all of them, but once they are official, we play by them.”
“One thing I never want to be accused of is not working.”
“Success is the peace of mind that comes when you know you have given everything you have to give to the opportunities that life has presented you.”
“The whole idea is to get an edge. Sometimes it takes just a little extra something to get that edge, but you have to have it.”
“Learn from everyone, copy no one.”
“I think what coaching is all about, is taking players and analyzing their ability; put them in a position where they can excel within the framework of the team winning. And I hope that I’ve done that in my 33 years as a head coach.”
“The 347 wins is the thing I’m most proud of. Nobody’s even close to it.”
“I’m just a guy who rolls up his sleeves and goes to work!”
“Everything that I have done has always been predicated on doing the best that I can with the ability that God has given me, trying to reach as far as I possibly can. And if I fall a little bit short, then I’m still farther ahead than if I hadn’t reached at all.”
“My coaching philosophy? Determine your players’ talents and give them every weapon to get the most from those talents.”
