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Woody hayes insights

Explore a captivating collection of Woody hayes’s most profound quotes, reflecting his deep wisdom and unique perspective on life, science, and the universe. Each quote offers timeless inspiration and insight.

You don't get many chances to pay back what's been done for you. Take them.

You can never pay back, so you should always try to pay forward.

The players fire the coach, and as long as I'm on the same wavelength with them, I can coach as long as I want to.

The most deceptive course in football is straight at the goalposts.

It's never an upset if the so-called underdog has all along considered itself the better team.

I am not very smart, but I recognize that I am not very smart.

I never saw a football player make a tackle with a smile on his face.

The only thing even in this world is the number of hours in a day. The difference in winning or losing is what you do with those hours.

The game of football is one of strategy and tactics.

Winners are men who have dedicated their whole lives to winning.

Because I couldn't go for three.

Without winners, there wouldn't even be any civilization.

When I look in the mirror in the morning, I want to take a swing at me.

A good general always makes you search for his weaknesses.

There's nothing in this world that comes easy. There are a lot of people who aren't going to bother to win. We learn in football to get up and go once more.

Paralyze resistance with persistence.

They may outsmart me, or be luckier, but they can't outwork me.

It does not matter the size of the man, rather the amount of effort the man is willing to put forth

You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward.

When you're winning - you don't need any friends. When you're losing - you don't have any friends anyway.

A man is always better than he thinks.

In football we always said that the other team couldn't beat us. We had to be sure that we didn't beat ourselves. And that's what people have to do, too - make sure they don't beat themselves.

You'll find out that nothing that comes easy is worth a dime. As a matter of fact, I never saw a football player make a tackle with a smile on his face. Never.

You don't get hurt running straight ahead...three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense. I will pound you and pound you until you quit.

Without winners, there would be no civilization.

The only way we'd get beaten was if we got a little fat-headed, if we didn't train right, if we had dissension on the squad.

Nothing that comes easy in this world is worth a damn.

Jack Tatum could hit a man so hard that it would lift both his feet off the ground.

We control by attitudes-positive mental attitudes-not by rules.

There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.

Football is, after all, a wonderful way to get rid of your aggressions without going to jail for it.

Football represents and embodies everything that's great about this country, because the United States of America is built on winners, not losers or people who didn't bother to play.

I've had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven't run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can't outwork you, then smarts aren't going to do them much good. That's just the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you'd be surprised at how much fun you can have. “Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.

To hell with exciting. I'd rather be drab as hell and win.

The five big mistakes in football are the fumble, the interception, the penalty, the badly called play, the blocked punt—and most of these originate with the quarterback. Find a mistake-proof quarterback and you have this game won.

I recruited a Czech kicker, and during the eye exam, when asked to read the bottom line, the kicker replied, Read it? I know him.

I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose.

I've had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven't run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can't outwork you, then smarts aren't going to do them much good.

The bowl games are only supposed to be a fun reward.

You can outwork anybody. Try it, you will find out that you can do it.

I may not be able to outsmart too many people, but I can outwork 'em.

Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.

Picking an assistant coach, the first thing I was interested in was the man's character.

Perfect preparation prevents piss-poor performance.

I don't apologize for anything. When I make a mistake, I take the blame and go on from there. I just despise to lose, and that has taken a man of mediocre ability and made a pretty good coach out of him.

No back in the history of football was ever worth two fumbles a game.

The minute I think I'm getting mellow, I'm retiring. Who ever heard of a mellow winner?

The only meaningful statistic is number of games won.

The height of human desire is what wins, whether it’s on Normandy Beach or in Ohio Stadium.

Indomitable in victory, insufferable in defeat.

I don't like nice people. I like tough, honest people.

Nobody despises to lose more than I do. That's got me into trouble over the years, but it also made a man of mediocre ability into a pretty good coach.

Even the best team, without a sound plan, can't score.

We do not pull in and fill up. And I'll tell you why we don't. It's because I don't buy one goddamn drop of gas in the state of Michigan. We'll coast and push this goddamn car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money.

I'm not trying to win a popularity poll. I'm trying to win football games.

Statistics always remind me of fellow who drowned in a river where the average depth was only three feet.

Anything easy ain't worth a damn!

Success is the only motivational factor that a boy with character needs.