Portal:American football/Selected quote/archive
- I am alarmed at the subtle invasion of professional football, which is gaining prominence over baseball. It's unthinkable. — Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey, on the increasing popularity of the National Football League, at the expense of Major League Baseball and the sport of baseball generally, known otherwise as the national pasttime of the United States
- I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault. — Oakland Raiders Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Jack Tatum, on the fierce quality of his play
- If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That's all it takes to get people to win football games for you. — University of Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, on his motivational techniques
- Let's win one for the Gipper. — University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Knute Rockne, imploring his team prior to a 1928 game against then-undefeated Army to win in honor of former Notre Dame halfback George "The Gipper" Gipp
- Once it's gone, it's gone. Golfers get to play their sport just about their whole lives; baseball players play a pretty long time. But football, it's over fast, and once it's over you're not going to get that same feeling, the competition, Sunday afternoon. Everything about it is going to be over. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, pictured, on the transience of a professional football career
- To me, Brett Favre laid down. — Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and FOX Sports television commentator Troy Aikman, on Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre's ostensibly permitting New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan to sack Favre in 2002, which sack gave Strahan the regular season sacks record
- If you're mad at your kid, you can either raise him to be a nose tackle or send him out to play on the freeway. It's about the same. — Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Bob Golic, on the physicality endured by linemen
- A lot of fans were drawn to me because they knew that whatever the score was, I was going to run as hard as I could on every play. You don't have that now; you have guys waiting for next week or even next year. - Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton
- What's the worst thing that can happen to a quarterback? He can lose his confidence. - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw
- I believe in rough, manly sports...[like] football. - United States president Theodore Roosevelt
- It is better to have died as a small boy than to fumble a football. Clemson University head coach John Heisman
- When it's third down and ten yards [to go], you can take the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time. - Green Bay Packers wide receiver Max McGee
- I've always admired Coach Shula. I thought I'd be drafted a little sooner, but now I'm happy I wasn't and Miami was around to pick me. - Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, on his being the sixth quarterback selected in the 1983 NFL Draft
- "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." — Vince Lombardi
- "We (the Cincinnati Bengals) can't run. We can't pass. We can't stop the run. We can't stop the pass. We can't kick. Other than that, we're just not a very good football team right now." — Bruce Coslet
- "Pro football is like nuclear warfare: there are no winners, only survivors." — Frank Gifford
- "At the base of it was the urge, if you wanted to play football, to knock someone down, that was what the sport was all about, the will to win closely linked with contact." — George Plimpton
- "The Jets will win on Sunday (in Super Bowl III), I guarantee it." — Joe Namath
February 26 to May 28, 2006
Football is, after all, a wonderful way to get rid of your aggressions without going to jail for it.~Heywood Hale Brown