Bob Ladouceur
Episode 87
28 SEP 2020
He coached for 35 years and, at De La Salle High School, a private, Roman Catholic school for boys in California, finished with a 399-25-3 record, including a national record 151 consecutive victories, which became the subject of a major motion picture. A number of his players went on to play and/or coach in the NFL. He had played college football himself as a running back at the University of Utah and then San Jose State, and he is the author of a book called, “Chasing Perfection: The Principles Behind Winning Football the De La Salle Way.” He also is a speaker who gives talks to parents, teachers, students, and even corporations.
Notable guest quotes:
“I went back to school. I wanted to study religion, just out of interest. And this was after I went on a Cursillo retreat when I was a sophomore in college.”
“Everybody loves to win. That’s a given… And I thought that the power of ‘team’ supersedes anything you can do to try to get that success in terms of wins and losses. And I really didn’t – I never talked about winning. Never.”
“I never talked about winning. I always talked about doing your job, being a good teammate, being a good student, being respectful, just, growing as a young adult.”
“I had wonderful coaches, dedicated Christian Catholic coaches too that understood the whole point of it, is that what we’re working for is community. What we’re working for is improving ourselves. And we did all the things that we needed to do in order to foster that. We had a prayer service every Thursday right after school in our chapel.”
“We would select three kids from the team… and they had to come in with a song. They had to come in with a gospel reading. They had to come in with a complimentary inspirational story… It was a great team builder.”
“It was a focus not on winning, it was a focus on them becoming better people, and in the process, we become a better team.”
“We’re all mortal, and you can’t take life for granted… and you’ve gotta live it to the fullest.”
“It’s just one of the best things our school ever has done. These kids come back really inspired and transformed.”
“She had quite a prayer line going in her favor, and I would not underestimate that power.”
Related link:
Bob’s book: Chasing Perfection: The Principles Behind Winning Football the De La Salle Way