- Jun 11, 2014
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If only this was part of my senior year curriculum when I was there!
http://floridagators.com/news/2017/...purrier-lectures-part-of-trsm-curriculum.aspx
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — First things first. Ground rules needed to be established. One, especially.
"Please, no videoing," Steve Spurrier told an audience of 90-some University of Florida seniors Tuesday afternoon. "This is just secret stuff, for you people."
And, with that, the UF icon proceeded to open a treasure trove of the very things that made him one of college football's all-time masterminds. Spurrier, 72, has had many labels attached to him over his decorated career; from "Heisman Trophy winner" to "Head Ball Coach," from "Steve Superior" to "Evil Genius" and, most recently, "Ambassador of UF Athletics."
Now, for kicks, let's add "Professor HBC."
It was over the summer that Spurrier reached out to faculty at the College of Health and Human Performance and asked if they would be interested in involving him in the curriculum. The answer was an easy one. Spurrier, the winningest coach in Florida history, was tabbed to give a series of four lectures to Dr. Doug DeMichele's "Field Experience" class, a senior-year requirement for Tourism, Recreation and Sports Management majors.
The topic: Winners & Losers.
"It was powerful," DeMichele said.
Spurrier came prepared. This was the first time he'd served as a classroom lecturer, but as Spurrier pointed out before taking the floor, it wasn't going to be much different than one of his public-speaking engagements, and he's done hundreds.
After a brief introduction with credentials, courtesy of Gainesville Sun sports columnist Pat Dooley, Spurrier had a microphone pinned to his shirt and gave a brief personal intro of his own that focused on his early days in the coaching profession. His first big break came when hired as offensive coordinator at Duke, a post he was advised to avoid because no would could win at Duke. He did.
"Professor HBC"
That story led to another. And another.
The greatest coaches, the truly generational ones, somewhere along the way have been moved by words. They all know John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" — and should, it's a staple and must for the motivational genre— but usually there's a book that truly struck a chord.
For Spurrier, one was "The Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun." Seriously.
Attila was one of the most feared world conquerers in history, Spurrier explained, during his reign nearly 2,000 years ago.
"Back then they had just one sport — war," Spurrier said. "You were either really good at it or you died."
Once, when one of Attila's generals was killed in battle, Spurrier continued, he went looking for a replacement. Attila tabbed one of his officers as the heir apparent and ordered him to train a group of 11-year-old girls how to march in line. Do that, Attila said, and the officer would prove worthy of the generalship. The next day, the officer came back and said the little girls wouldn't listen to him. They giggled too much. He couldn't do it.
"Attila said, "You can't do it? Oh, OK, then you can just go over there to the guillotine and get your head chopped off,' " Spurrier said. "Then Attila, he went to the next guy and asked him if he could do it. Guess what?"
The next guy did it because he had to.
And that, Spurrier said, was why he succeeded. He had to.
Armed with an overhead projector and a folder of notes, Spurrier treated the students to some of his greatest hits, as far as favorite sayings, quotes and proverbs. The truly educated Spurrier fan could have matched every one to some moment of his career.
A winner makes commitments.
A loser makes promises.
A winner makes mistakes and says, "I was wrong."
A loser makes mistakes and says, "It wasn't my fault."
A winner shows he's sorry by making up for it.
A loser says I'm sorry and does the same thing the next time.
While head coaching at Duke in 1987, his team led Maryland by 16 points with less than seven minutes to play, only to lose 23-22 because the Terrapins scored two touchdowns and two two-point conversions down the stretch. Spurrier blamed himself afterward for going conservative near the end zone and settling for field goals.
"My [Athletic Director] asked me after the game why we'd pass the ball up and down the field, then run the ball into a wall of tacklers when we got down there near the goal line," Spurrier recalled. "I told him, 'Because I'm a dumbass.' And I never did that again."
A winner listens.
A loser waits his turn to talk.
A winner feels strong enough to be gentle.
A loser is never gentle — he is either weak or pettily tyrannous by turns.
A winner says there ought to be a better way.
A loser says, "That's the way it's always been done here."
In 1990, Spurrier's first season upon returning to his alma mater to coach the Gators, the UF freshmen reported for school and some of the seniors began readying for the annual ritual of shaving the rookies' heads. Spurrier got word and immediately nixed it.
"We're not doing that [hazing] crap anymore," he ordered.
"But Coach," the seniors insisted. "It's a tradition."
Spurrier wasn't impressed.
"Yeah, and so is getting on a bus every year and going to Jacksonville and getting our asses beat by Georgia," he shot back. "We're going to make some new traditions around here."
Spurrier, of course, went 11-1 against the Bulldogs, with wins in the series keys to capturing seven Southeastern Conference titles along the way. Before Spurrier arrived, the Gators had won zero SEC championships.
These sayings, tied to real-life stories of success, were followed by some of Spurrier's all-time favorite quotes from the likes of Calvin Coolidge, Gen. George Patton, Sir Francis Drake, Abraham Lincoln, Vince Lombardi and Aristotle.
"Most people see things the way they are and ask, 'Why?' But I dream of things that never were and ask, 'Why not?' " — George Bernard Shaw.
Dr. Doug DeMichele's "Field Experience" class of seniors got a photo op with their guest lecturer.
What an incredible opportunity for these young people about to enter the real world to get in the mind of a legend renowned for his success. For winning.
"I think he's genuinely interested in helping these students," DeMichele said. "Everything he shared are statements that were made by other folks who were winners. His message was that in whatever discipline you choose, you have an opportunity to be a winner, but you have to be passionate about it. You have to have that internal passion."
Clearly, the messenger had it.
"He's a hero of mine, so this was awesome," said Michael Smith, who was locked in from his back-row seat. "The quotes definitely hit home. Just knowing what he's done in the past, I can tell they had a profound impact on him as both a player and a coach. And I think they can be applied to whatever you do."
Emily Bortz, from Orlando, had a front-row seat.
"When he says something, I take it to heart because he has been so successful and he chose to come back here because his heart was with Florida," she said. "I wrote so many of those things down because, sometimes, I get discouraged. I don't want to say I make excuses, but sometimes I do — and winners don't. Who doesn't want to be a winner in life?"
Spurrier will be back for similar chats each of the next three weeks. Coming soon: HIs interpretation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War."
Too bad video isn't allowed.
http://floridagators.com/news/2017/...purrier-lectures-part-of-trsm-curriculum.aspx
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — First things first. Ground rules needed to be established. One, especially.
"Please, no videoing," Steve Spurrier told an audience of 90-some University of Florida seniors Tuesday afternoon. "This is just secret stuff, for you people."
And, with that, the UF icon proceeded to open a treasure trove of the very things that made him one of college football's all-time masterminds. Spurrier, 72, has had many labels attached to him over his decorated career; from "Heisman Trophy winner" to "Head Ball Coach," from "Steve Superior" to "Evil Genius" and, most recently, "Ambassador of UF Athletics."
Now, for kicks, let's add "Professor HBC."
It was over the summer that Spurrier reached out to faculty at the College of Health and Human Performance and asked if they would be interested in involving him in the curriculum. The answer was an easy one. Spurrier, the winningest coach in Florida history, was tabbed to give a series of four lectures to Dr. Doug DeMichele's "Field Experience" class, a senior-year requirement for Tourism, Recreation and Sports Management majors.
The topic: Winners & Losers.
"It was powerful," DeMichele said.
Spurrier came prepared. This was the first time he'd served as a classroom lecturer, but as Spurrier pointed out before taking the floor, it wasn't going to be much different than one of his public-speaking engagements, and he's done hundreds.
After a brief introduction with credentials, courtesy of Gainesville Sun sports columnist Pat Dooley, Spurrier had a microphone pinned to his shirt and gave a brief personal intro of his own that focused on his early days in the coaching profession. His first big break came when hired as offensive coordinator at Duke, a post he was advised to avoid because no would could win at Duke. He did.
"Professor HBC"
That story led to another. And another.
The greatest coaches, the truly generational ones, somewhere along the way have been moved by words. They all know John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" — and should, it's a staple and must for the motivational genre— but usually there's a book that truly struck a chord.
For Spurrier, one was "The Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun." Seriously.
Attila was one of the most feared world conquerers in history, Spurrier explained, during his reign nearly 2,000 years ago.
"Back then they had just one sport — war," Spurrier said. "You were either really good at it or you died."
Once, when one of Attila's generals was killed in battle, Spurrier continued, he went looking for a replacement. Attila tabbed one of his officers as the heir apparent and ordered him to train a group of 11-year-old girls how to march in line. Do that, Attila said, and the officer would prove worthy of the generalship. The next day, the officer came back and said the little girls wouldn't listen to him. They giggled too much. He couldn't do it.
"Attila said, "You can't do it? Oh, OK, then you can just go over there to the guillotine and get your head chopped off,' " Spurrier said. "Then Attila, he went to the next guy and asked him if he could do it. Guess what?"
The next guy did it because he had to.
And that, Spurrier said, was why he succeeded. He had to.
Armed with an overhead projector and a folder of notes, Spurrier treated the students to some of his greatest hits, as far as favorite sayings, quotes and proverbs. The truly educated Spurrier fan could have matched every one to some moment of his career.
A winner makes commitments.
A loser makes promises.
A winner makes mistakes and says, "I was wrong."
A loser makes mistakes and says, "It wasn't my fault."
A winner shows he's sorry by making up for it.
A loser says I'm sorry and does the same thing the next time.
While head coaching at Duke in 1987, his team led Maryland by 16 points with less than seven minutes to play, only to lose 23-22 because the Terrapins scored two touchdowns and two two-point conversions down the stretch. Spurrier blamed himself afterward for going conservative near the end zone and settling for field goals.
"My [Athletic Director] asked me after the game why we'd pass the ball up and down the field, then run the ball into a wall of tacklers when we got down there near the goal line," Spurrier recalled. "I told him, 'Because I'm a dumbass.' And I never did that again."
A winner listens.
A loser waits his turn to talk.
A winner feels strong enough to be gentle.
A loser is never gentle — he is either weak or pettily tyrannous by turns.
A winner says there ought to be a better way.
A loser says, "That's the way it's always been done here."
In 1990, Spurrier's first season upon returning to his alma mater to coach the Gators, the UF freshmen reported for school and some of the seniors began readying for the annual ritual of shaving the rookies' heads. Spurrier got word and immediately nixed it.
"We're not doing that [hazing] crap anymore," he ordered.
"But Coach," the seniors insisted. "It's a tradition."
Spurrier wasn't impressed.
"Yeah, and so is getting on a bus every year and going to Jacksonville and getting our asses beat by Georgia," he shot back. "We're going to make some new traditions around here."
Spurrier, of course, went 11-1 against the Bulldogs, with wins in the series keys to capturing seven Southeastern Conference titles along the way. Before Spurrier arrived, the Gators had won zero SEC championships.
These sayings, tied to real-life stories of success, were followed by some of Spurrier's all-time favorite quotes from the likes of Calvin Coolidge, Gen. George Patton, Sir Francis Drake, Abraham Lincoln, Vince Lombardi and Aristotle.
"Most people see things the way they are and ask, 'Why?' But I dream of things that never were and ask, 'Why not?' " — George Bernard Shaw.
Dr. Doug DeMichele's "Field Experience" class of seniors got a photo op with their guest lecturer.
What an incredible opportunity for these young people about to enter the real world to get in the mind of a legend renowned for his success. For winning.
"I think he's genuinely interested in helping these students," DeMichele said. "Everything he shared are statements that were made by other folks who were winners. His message was that in whatever discipline you choose, you have an opportunity to be a winner, but you have to be passionate about it. You have to have that internal passion."
Clearly, the messenger had it.
"He's a hero of mine, so this was awesome," said Michael Smith, who was locked in from his back-row seat. "The quotes definitely hit home. Just knowing what he's done in the past, I can tell they had a profound impact on him as both a player and a coach. And I think they can be applied to whatever you do."
Emily Bortz, from Orlando, had a front-row seat.
"When he says something, I take it to heart because he has been so successful and he chose to come back here because his heart was with Florida," she said. "I wrote so many of those things down because, sometimes, I get discouraged. I don't want to say I make excuses, but sometimes I do — and winners don't. Who doesn't want to be a winner in life?"
Spurrier will be back for similar chats each of the next three weeks. Coming soon: HIs interpretation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War."
Too bad video isn't allowed.
