Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Bill Curry Book out now !!

Bill Curry has written a book. You and I should both buy said book. From the little I've read and heard, it's a keeper.

Excerpt:

The life of a college freshman football player is a jarring mixture of excitement and fear … At Georgia Tech, the process was especially daunting because it involved two distinct and competing disciplines that collided in rapid succession with immature psyches. One was football at a level that was a quantum leap forward from high school. The other was a core academic curriculum that included calculus, physics, chemistry, and statistics -- even for football players …

Under Coach Dodd we learned routine, system, moral compass, and unselfish teamwork. We learned to think under duress. We learned the fundamentals of winning football with the same diligence required in the physics lab. We learned to respect tough faculty, tough opponents, and tough situations without fearing them.

Check out this quote from Dodd:

He (Dodd) had no trouble saying Georgia Tech, but he always said "Georgie" when referring to the Bulldogs:

"Men, Georgie's a fine football team, a very fine football team. Georgie's bigger and faster than we are. Probably a little tougher, too.

That's okay, because we're smarter than they are.

Now, let me tell you what's going to happen. That Georgie team's going to come running out of the tunnel screaming and foaming at the mouth and smashing one another upside the head just to get warmed up.

We won't do any of that. While they waste their energy, we'll conserve ours. I've told you that they're bigger, faster, and tougher than you. That's true. But we do have that one big advantage.

We … are … smarter.

Think about what I teach you. Play field position. Play great defense. Make no mistakes on offense. Be great in the kicking game. Do that and we'll keep it close.

As the game goes on, they'll start to get tired because they wasted so much energy in the beginning. Because we're smart, we'll have plenty of energy left, and at some point in the fourth quarter they'll make a mistake.

When they do make that mistake, we'll get the football. And when that happens, I'll think of something and we'll win!"

Curry on "Dodd's Luck"

The experts called it "Dodd luck."

But it wasn't luck, unless one's definition of luck begins with a deep understanding of motivational psychology, football strategy, and innovative game-planning. I am convinced the "Dodd luck" derived from a genius who understood his people, understood his game, and understood his opponents better than any other coach in the history of the game …

I'm going to buy this book and read it. I think you should too. Just click below and make it happen.



In case you're curious - here are all ten men he met in the huddle:

The first one is his peewee coach Bill Badgett, who is labeled as "The Builder," then there is his college coach, the legendary Bobby Dodd, who Curry calls "The Philosopher." Next is his "General" - Vince Lombardi and his "Leader" - Bart Starr. Willie Davis, called "The Counselor," rounds out the first five.

"The Intimidator" is Ray Nischee, followed by "The Teacher," Don Shula, and "The Winner," Johnny Unitas. "The Coach" is Bubba Smith and finally "The Muse" is George Plimpton.