Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Tom Landry (American Football Coach)

Thomas Wade Landry (1924–2000) was an iconic American football coach and former player, best known for his 29-year tenure as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Born in Mission, Texas, Landry played college football at the University of Texas, graduating in 1947, and served as a bomber pilot in World War II before completing a degree in industrial engineering.

Landry’s playing career included time with the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the New York Giants in the NFL, where he excelled as a defensive back and punter. His strategic prowess led to a coaching role with the Giants in 1954, where he developed the 4–3 defensive scheme, a cornerstone of modern football.

In 1960, Landry became the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Known for his stoic demeanor, innovative strategies, and signature fedora, he led the team to five Super Bowl appearances, winning two championships 1971, 1977. His use of the “flex defense” and technology advanced game planning. He was dismissed in 1989 after a series of losing seasons and an ownership change.

Tom Landry: An Autobiography (1990) shares his career and philosophy.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Tom Landry

I don’t believe in team motivation. I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it steps on a field and be prepared to play a good game.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Teams, Teamwork

A team that has character doesn’t need stimulation.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Motivation

I’ve learned that something constructive comes from every defeat.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Defeat

If you are prepared, you will be confident, and will do the job.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Planning, Preparation

A winner never stops trying.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Effort, Winning, Winners, Trying

Leadership is getting someone to do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Leadership

Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Leadership, Leaders

Even after you’ve just won the Super Bowl—especially after you’ve just won the Super Bowl—there’s always next year. If Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing, then the only thing is nothing—emptiness, the nightmare of life without ultimate meaning.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Competition

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Goal, Planning

When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn.
—Tom Landry
Topics: Competition

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