By Don EskinsStory has it that several years ago a high school in Sweetbriar, Colorado was having a bit of trouble winning football games. As a matter of fact the small school had won just fifteen games over the past five years.Sothe community hired a new coach, a coach that said he would return Sweetbriar to its glory years, years that had often saw them competing for state championships on a regular basis.Sweetbriar’s new coach had a philosophy built on the premise that most football games were won and lost from tackle to tackle. And as the school’s new coach that’s what he would concentrate on the most.Day in and day out he constantly preached to his kids the importance of playing tough from tackle to tackle on both sides of the ball, after all to him that’s where most football games were won and lost.Although his charges bought into his philosophy things didn’t change much in Sweetbriar. After his first season his team posted a minuscule 1-10 record.Things didn’t go much better for the coach in his second year either, a year that saw Sweetbriar go just 2-9 on the year.So as his third year got underway the critics were already buzzing and the heat was on. It was definitely a year that he needed to turn the program around if he was going to save his job.But sometimes you don’t always get what you want. Down 38-12 at the half, and only 1-9 on the year, Sweetbrair was about to close out another losing season.However the coach still felt they could win the game, but as always they had to do it from tackle to tackle.As he stood in front of his team during the half time break he yelled out to his kids the familiar saying they had all become more than familiar with. “Just remember men that most football games are won from tackle to tackle and that most football games are lost,” he then suddenly stopped without finishing the rest of his favorite saying. Why? Because as he scanned his kids while addressing them he had spotted one of his 6’4” 265 lb. defensive lineman asleep in the back of the room.Noticeably upset the coach went on to finish the rest of his sentence yelling out to his sleeping player, “Cooper where are most football games lost!”Somewhat startled and still half asleep the young man shook his head and answered, “Right here in Sweetbriar coach.”Did they really say that?1. “I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards-whichever comes first,” former Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers.2. “I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father,” PGA tour great Greg Norman.3. “No. World War II was a must win,” Marv Levy former Buffalo Bills football coach.4. “And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row,” said the U.S. Tennis professional and Australian Open winner who had previously lost sixteen straight matches to tennis’ iconic Jimmy Conners.5. “We can’t win at home and we can’t win on the road. As the team’s general manager I can’t figure out where else to play,” Pat Williams former Orlando Magic General Manager.
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