WHAT IT TAKES TO BE NO. 1

BY VINCE LOMBARDI YOUVE GOT TO PAY THE PRICE Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place.

Vince Lombardi the legend!

BHS 1957 Canal Zone Football Champions

It has been many years now since I had the pleasure to play for Balboa High School (BHS)in the Old Canal Zone in Panama. I can remember that the locker room walls had many inspirational sayings...Like "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Here is another favorite of mine... "It is not the size of the dog in the fight but size of the fight in the dog." In the Panama Canal Schools we really had some great coaches. They could really motivate us to do more than we thought was possible. They could make us winners and this same spirit carried over into our lives after leaving our cherished Alma Mater BHS.

Put Me In Coach! Some of my favorite sayings by Coach Vince Lombardi:Fatigue makes cowards of us all...The Individual commitment to a group effort is what makes teamwork in a company work, in a society work, and in civilization work...The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender...Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price...If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score? ...In great attempts it is glorious even to fail...The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur...It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up. ...The greatest accomplishment is not in ever falling, but in rising again after you fall...Winners never quit and quitters never win... Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing...The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will...Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another and of strength to be derived by unity...Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything. "Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints in our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." --- Unknown Vince Lombardi was that type of person and he left a lasting mark in National Football... When you don't know where you are going any road will take you there. “If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life – and it all begins with your very own power of choice.” --------- Jim Rohn, Author and Speaker--- Carpe Diem! It has been a real pleasure sharing little bit about Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest coaches of all time. For me his way of coaching was how one must attack life... Yes never give up and never surrender! If he were around to day he would say: "It doesn't matter how often you get knocked down; what matters is how often you get back up. Take care and drop by again. Hasta la Vista. See you on the flip side. Lets go home The USPS issued a stamp in honor of Vince Lombardi. He Coached Green Bay to 5 NFL titles; won the first 2 Super Bowls (1967-68); died as NFL's all-time winningest coach with percentage of .740 (105-35-6). The Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor. A favorite saying attributed to Coach Vince Lombardi, which is a favorite of mine is the following; "The Green Bay Packers never lost a football game. They just ran out of time." Too Many Secrets Little Stories to enjoy Photo Credits: Author, NFL, Vince Lombardi Archives, BHS Archives, CZ and PCC Archives Sing and rejoice, tra-la-la, for fortune is smiling upon you!