People that are brilliant and successful, we think they've just always been that way. That's not the case. Most of them have had some tough adversity in their life. It's prepared them. I've never felt like you could develop character without adversity.

Bobby Bowden

Categorized in : Character Successful Adversity

Don't go to the grave with life unused. by Bobby Bowden

Don't go to the grave with life unused.

teamwork motivational sports

That boy don't know the meaning of the word fear. In fact, I just saw his grades, and that boy don't know the meaning of a lot of words.

college football boys

Discipline to me is sacrifice; it's willingness to give up something you want to do, so you can better yourself.

nfl sacrifice giving-up

I learned a long time ago that you don't have to go around using bad language and trying to hurt people to show how macho you are. That stuff won't get you anywhere, it just shows lack of vocabulary and character.

vocabulary hurt character

The greatest mistake is to continue to practice a mistake. by Bobby Bowden

The greatest mistake is to continue to practice a mistake.

nfl practice mistake

Integrity makes my job easier. It's deception and dishonesty that... by Bobby Bowden

Integrity makes my job easier. It's deception and dishonesty that requires so much diligent effort.

honesty integrity jobs

If short hair and good manners won football games, Army and Navy would play for the national championship every year.

army hair football

When I go after something, I go after it hard. It has always been that way. I don't know. It's in my blood.

desire blood way

As good as we were, we didn’t win a National Championship until 1993, mainly because we kept losing to Miami on missed kicks. I used to get mad because nobody else would play Miami. Notre Dame would play them, then drop them. Florida dropped them. Penn State dropped them. We would play Miami and lose by one point on a missed field goal, and it would knock us out of the National Championship. I didn’t want to play them, either, but I had to play them. That’s why I said, 'When I die, They’ll say, ‘At least he played Miami.'

florida winning play

Son, you've got a good engine, but your hands aren't on the steer... by Bobby Bowden

Son, you've got a good engine, but your hands aren't on the steering wheel.

college football son

To have the kind of year you want to have, something has to happen that you can't explain why it happened. Something has to happen that you can't coach.

new-year happy years

I learned more from the mistakes than from the good things. by Bobby Bowden

I learned more from the mistakes than from the good things.

monday mistake morning

I'm not too proud to change. I like to win too much. by Bobby Bowden

I'm not too proud to change. I like to win too much.

too-much proud winning

If somebody mistreats you, treat’em good. That kills’em. by Bobby Bowden

If somebody mistreats you, treat’em good. That kills’em.

nfl ems sports

Courage is doing something you need to do that might get you hurt... by Bobby Bowden

Courage is doing something you need to do that might get you hurt.

hurt might needs

He died right after he retired, and seeing that made me feel more conscious of a man needing a motive to live. If I ever got out of coaching, I would have to get a job somewhere, or I'm afraid I'd wilt on the vine, too.

nfl jobs men

He who gets the best players usually wins. by Bobby Bowden

He who gets the best players usually wins.

player winning sports

There's only about 6 inches that turns that halo into a noose. by Bobby Bowden

There's only about 6 inches that turns that halo into a noose.

inches halos nfl

If their IQ's where five points lower they'd be geraniums. by Bobby Bowden

If their IQ's where five points lower they'd be geraniums.

five ifs

I am not happy with moral victories. Those things are forgotten. by Bobby Bowden

I am not happy with moral victories. Those things are forgotten.

nfl moral victory