Coach Rockne Muses about Winning, Losing

As you have seen, the legendary Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coach Knute Rockne had some pretty deep thoughts about winning and losing, and how each of those situations ought to be handled. It is of some note, though, that Knute Rockne would have had far more experience at winning, rather than losing. He currently has the greatest winning percentage of any college coach, with an average that is well over .800 for his career. While he was in college, he played for a championship Notre Dame football team, and he set a record for Notre Dame in the indoor pole vault. Needless to say, Rockne seemed like a winner most of his life. What would he really know about losing?

Then there is this Rockne quote that might appear to be a contradiction about his feelings on the subject as stated in his “25 Commandments.” Said Rockne, “Show me a good and gracious loser and I’ll show you a failure.” Of course, he also said that one can be “a good but gracious loser.” He continued, “Any coach or team that cannot lose and treat their opponents with respect has no right to win.”

Perhaps Rockne is advocating some sort of middle ground in between respect, bitterness and graciousness. It is too bad we can’t ask ol’ Rockne about his thoughts. Instead, you can get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets at StubHub.com and ponder winning and losing by yourself afterwards.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 25, 2007 - Post a comment