45 Lou Holtz Football Quotes: Legendary Wisdom & Wit

With his iconic lisp and straightforward wisdom, Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz left a legacy that extends far beyond the football field. His Lou Holtz football quotes are cherished for their timeless lessons on winning, character, and teamwork. This collection captures the very best of his insightful and often hilarious wisdom.

10 Essential Lou Holtz Football Quotes

1. “The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it.”
2. “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”
3. “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.”
4. “You’re either growing or you’re dying. So get in motion and grow.”
5. “Don’t be a spectator, don’t let life pass you by.”
6. “You’ll never get ahead of anyone as long as you try to get even with him.”
7. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
8. “I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary.”
9. “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.”
10. “The only things that change you from where you are today to where you’ll be a year from now are the books you read and the people you meet.”

10 Funny Lou Holtz Football Quotes

1. “I have a 5-step plan for success: 1. Get up. 2. Go to class. 3. Go see the tutor. 4. Go to study hall. 5. Go to bed. Now, if you can’t remember that, go see the trainer, because you’ve got a concussion.”
2. “I once told my players, ‘We’re not here to have fun. We’re here to win.’ Then I paused and said, ‘But if you win, you’ll have a hell of a lot of fun.'”
3. “The only difference between a successful coach and an unsuccessful coach is the quarterback.”
4. “When all is said and done, more is said than done.”
5. “I was at a school so small, our mascot was a steer. That meant we had no bull.”
6. “My players’ GPA is very important. If it gets too low, the NCAA won’t let us lose on television.”
7. “I asked one of my players, ‘Do you pray before games?’ He said, ‘No, I don’t. The other team is bigger and faster, so I just pray I survive.'”
8. “I don’t think you can win without a good quarterback. I’ve never tried it, and I don’t want to.”
9. “If you don’t make a total commitment to whatever you’re doing, then you start looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking.”
10. “On being a football coach: ‘It’s like being a fire hydrant in a neighborhood full of dogs.'”

5 Lou Holtz Football Quotes About Life

1. “You’re either growing or you’re dying. So get in motion and grow.”
2. “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.”
3. “Don’t be a spectator, don’t let life pass you by.”
4. “I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary.”
5. “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”

5 Lou Holtz Football Quotes On Leadership

1. “The only thing I demand from my players is commitment. Everything else I can give them.”
2. “A good leader makes people want to do what he needs them to do.”
3. “You should be led by three things: your heart, your head, and your gut.”
4. “Leadership is about getting people to believe in you. If you say you’re going to do it, and you do it, then they’ll believe.”
5. “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

5 Lou Holtz Football Quotes On Winning

1. “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.”
2. “Winners are not people who never lose; they are people who never quit.”
3. “If you’re not afraid to fail, you have a great chance to be successful.”
4. “You weren’t born to be average. You were born to be a winner.”
5. “The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards.”

5 Lou Holtz Football Quotes On Teamwork

1. “You weren’t born to do everything by yourself. You need help.”
2. “I don’t care if you’re the most talented team in the world, if you don’t have teamwork, you won’t win.”
3. “Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
4. “The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.”
5. “We can achieve anything we want as long as we stay together.”

5 Lou Holtz Quote On Football Players Today

1. “The problem today is that we emphasize winning games more than we emphasize building a winner.”
2. “Players today want to know two things: ‘How much am I going to get paid?’ and ‘How much am I going to play?’ They don’t ask, ‘What do I have to do to be successful?'”
3. “Today, everybody has a sense of entitlement. You’re entitled to an opportunity. You’re not entitled to success. Success must be earned.”
4. “We live in a world of instant gratification, but there’s nothing instant about success.”
5. “Today, if you tell a player he needs to work on his blocking, he transfers. We used to tell a player he needed to work on his blocking, and he’d say, ‘Yes, sir.'”

Conclusion: A Legacy of Lasting Wisdom

From the locker room to the boardroom, the principles embedded in these Lou Holtz football quotes remain powerfully relevant. They teach us that success is built on accountability, perseverance, and a genuine care for others. Let these legendary Lou Holtz football quotes serve as your playbook for winning, not just in football, but in the game of life.