"I love the sense of satisfaction that I get when I’ve done a swimming workout or race, and know that I gave my whole being and heart to God in every moment of the swim. It’s the best worship I can offer him."
Tom Landry, an autobiography
Return to the book list for titles beginning with 't'.
Tom Landry, an autobiography with Gregg Lewis, New York, Harper, 1990
The book is the autobiography of one of the most successful American Football Coaches of all time.
Landry’s Christian faith comes out clearly throughout the book. For example: “I had been praying and asking God for some sort of direction and guidance about my future. And now it seemed I had my answer. I took that remarkable ten-year contract as a clear indication of God’s will for my life. And I never again doubted that coaching was to be my life’s calling”. And “Knowing your job isn’t the most important thing in your life relieves a lot of the pressure. Important thing in your life relieves a lot of the pressure. I didn’t have to do it all in my own strength; God promises didn’t have to do it all in my own strength; God promises the necessary strength to those who follow him.”
He worked alongside Vince Lombardi and giving an interesting insight into the famous quote, revealing that it was “one he borrowed from an old John Wayne movie in which the Duke played a football coach who said: ‘Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing’. While I’m sure that statement worked well in a rousing pep talk, I don’t think it’s true. And while I don’t doubt Vince used it to make a good point with his players, I don’t think he believed it either”.
There is a great deal of wisdom on coaching: Two examples, “Give me a choice between an outstanding athlete with poor character and a lesser athlete of good character, and I’ll choose the latter every time. The athlete with good character will often perform to his fullest potential and be a successful football player while the outstanding athlete with poor character will usually fail to play up to his potential and often won’t even achieve average performance”. And the primary challenge in coaching NFL is "To get people to do what they don’t want to do in order to achieve what they want to achieve”.
Well worth reading.