There is a progression of understanding vis-a-vis pro football that varies drastically with the factor of distance—physical, emotional, intellectual and every other way. Which is exactly the way it should be, in the eyes of the amazingly small number of people who own and control the game, because it is this finely managed distance factor that accounts for the high-profit mystique that blew the sacred institution of baseball off its “national pastime” pedestal in less than fifteen years.
—Hunter S. Thompson (1937–2005) American Journalist
There’s nothing in this world that comes easy. There are a lot of people who aren’t going to bother to win. We learn in football to get up and go once more.
—Woody Hayes (1913–87) American Sportsperson
People stress the violence. That’s the smallest part of it. Football is brutal only from a distance. In the middle of it there’s a calm, a tranquility. The players accept pain. There’s a sense of order even at the end of a running play with bodies strewn everywhere. When the systems interlock, there’s a satisfaction to the game that can’t be duplicated. There’s a harmony.
—Don DeLillo (b.1936) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
In life, as in football, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are.
—Arnold Glasow (1905–98) American Businessman
Football doesn’t build character. It eliminates weak ones.
—Darrell Royal (1924–2012) American Football Player
People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.
—Vince Lombardi, Jr. (1913–70) American Football Player, Coach
Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.
—Don Shula (1930–2020) American Football Coach
When somebody tells you nothing is impossible, ask him to dribble a football.
—Unknown
Conventional wisdom notwithstanding, there is no reason either in football or in poetry why the two should not meet in a man’s life if he has the weight and cares about the words.
—Archibald MacLeish (1892–1982) American Poet, Dramatist
Academy: A modern school where football is taught.
—Ambrose Bierce (1842–1913) American Short-story Writer, Journalist
Football is like life—it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.
—Vince Lombardi, Jr. (1913–70) American Football Player, Coach
Football combines the two worst features of American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.
—George Will (b.1941) American Columnist, Journalist, Writer
Politics is like football; if you see daylight, go through the hole.
—John F. Kennedy (1917–63) American Head of State, Journalist
No star playing, just football.
—Knute Rockne (1888–1931) American College Football Coach
Some people try to find things in this game that don’t exist but football is only two things-blocking and tackling.
—Vince Lombardi, Jr. (1913–70) American Football Player, Coach
Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he’s got to play from the ground up—from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That’s OK You’ve got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you’ve got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.
—Vince Lombardi, Jr. (1913–70) American Football Player, Coach
Let’s win one for the Gipper.
—Knute Rockne (1888–1931) American College Football Coach
A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall.
—Vince Lombardi, Jr. (1913–70) American Football Player, Coach
Football is, after all, a wonderful way to get rid of your aggressions without going to jail for it.
—Heywood Broun (1888–1939) American Journalist
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