The Easy School of Hard Knocks

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The most successful college football coach of all time was Knute Rockne of Notre Dame and he had tremendous seasons but one year in the late 20s he had an average team and they had a big game towards the end of the season against the undefeated cadets from West Point at Yankee Stadium. 

So Rockne got the team in the locker room before the game, he said “You all know who George Gipp was? 

George Gipp is the greatest player ever in the history of Notre Dame. 

You might have known the story that his senior year he died right on campus on our infirmary and I was with him the night he died tragically and I said “George is there anything I can do for you?” 

He said “This is it. 

There’s nothing you can do for me” He said “George, there must be something I can do for you” and he looked up at me and he was very short of breath and he said “Coach, there’s going to come a time when you’re going to want to win a game more than anything else in the world. 

When that times comes, tell the boys to win one for the Gipper.” Rockne told the story, he looked around the room, he said “Boys, this is that game.”

Final score Notre Dame 12 West Point 3. 

The winter Olympics were held in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. 

In the two-man bobsled, the greatest driver in the world was Eugenio Monti from Italy. 

Eugenia just ended his last run in with an incredible time.

There was only one team left.

Nobody was going to beat the Italians. 

The last team was from Great Britain with Tony Nash as the driver.

Tony was good but nobody was going to beat the great Eugenio Monti’s time. 

At the end of the course Eugenio Monti's team was celebrating. 

Part of Tony Nash's sled was broken.

And he can’t take his last run. 

And Eugenio Monti said “Which part?”

And the guy told him. 

Tony Nash had the exact same sled, so Eugenio Monti detached the part from his sled, sent it up to the top of the course and Tony Nash attached it to his sled.

Nash took his last run, and won. 

Eugenio Monti didn’t want to win because somebody had an defected sled. 

He wanted his best to be against Tony Nash’s best, and he lost. 

Four years later Monti won

We’re still telling this story because that was one of the great stories of sportsmanship of all time.

And because of that Monti won the Pierre de Coubertin Sportsmanship Award, which is very rarely given out. 

It's only been given out a few times in the history of the Olympic Games.

What about you?

Are you in it to win it at all cost?

The moral of the story? While Johnny was getting ready, the mailman was taking care of business. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t put things off. You just got to do it, because you lose your dreams. Procrastination is your worst enemy.