Bear Bryant Player Quotations

If you whoop and holler all the time, the players just get used to it.

No coach has ever won a game by what he knows; it's what his players know that counts.

I've had many a player tell me all through high school and right up until signing day that they were coming to Alabama, then they signed with somebody else.

It's been years since I've had a real input in the game anyway. For this game, I've just tried to keep all the other stuff away from the players and coaches.

I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game.

I'll never give up on a player regardless of his ability as long as he never gives up on himself. In time he will develop.

In order to have a winner, the team must have a feeling of unity; every player must put the team first ahead of personal glory.

Find your own picture, your own self in anything that goes bad. It's awfully easy to mouth off at your staff or chew out players, but if it's bad, and your the head coach, you're responsible. If we have an intercepted pass, I threw it. I'm the head coach. If we get a punt blocked, I caused it. A bad practice, a bad game, it's up to the head coach to assume his responsibility.

I tell young players who want to be coaches, who think they can put up with all the headaches and heartaches, can you live without it? If you can live without it, don't get in it.

I always want my players to show class, knock'em down, pat on the back, and run back to the huddle.

If a man is a quitter, I'd rather find out in practice than in a game. I ask for all a player has so I'll know later what I can expect.

Everybody's got pretty good players now, more players than there've ever been. If you play poorly, you're going to get beat.

At Alabama, our players don't win Heisman Trophies. Our teams win National Championships.

I have had players who are good, and who know they are good; I have had players who are bad and know they are bad; I have had players who are good, but who don't know they are good; I have had players who are bad, but who don't know they are bad. It is this last group that has won more games for me than the first three groups combined.