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Faith in the Game: Lessons on Football, Work, and Life
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$ 13.01
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$ 13.99 |
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| Item Number |
706346 |
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Item Description...
Overview
The fabled University of Nebraska coach shares his motivational story of faith and football, discussing the role God has played in his life and his gridiron success.
Publishers Description
As head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers for twenty-five years, Tom Osborne had one of the most impressive records in college football. Before retiring in 1997, he took his team to a bowl game every year, won three national championships in the last four years he coached, and ended his career boasting an almost unheard of 84 percent winning record. But while these numbers testify to an undeniable accomplishment, it has been another, more powerful force that has shaped Tom's life: his faith.
In Faith in the Game, this legendary coach shares the philosophy he used to create not only a champion football team but also a meaningful life. Both a memoir of Osborne's career with the Cornhuskers and an inspirational guide to making the most out of life by cultivating core values like honesty, courage, and loyalty, Faith in the Game presents the traits Osborne helped to instill in his team--traits that helped the Cornhuskers achieve their spectacular level of success. Osborne focuses on the aspects of character that he has emphasized in his work on and off the field, illustrated with compelling behind-the-scenes stories of the Nebraska football team. Conveyed with his own captivating integrity, Osborne's message reveals the value of hard work, the importance of finding a balance between our professional and personal obligations, and, above all, the importance of bringing faith into our lives to help us through times of crisis.
Tom Osborne is beloved not only for his outstanding record but also for the commitment and dedication he has always shown to his players and coaching staff as a mentor, coach, and friend. His ability to motivate a team has come not with last-minute pep talks but through a focus on consistency and strength of character. "Winning," as he writes in Faith in the Game, "is a by-product of sound preparation."
For those seeking a spiritually centered approach to living and working, this candid account of Tom Osborne's faith and strength is a warm and authentic book from which all of us can learn.
"The numbers tell you that Tom Osborne was one of the most extraordinarily successful coaches in the history of college football. When you just sit down and look at everything he accomplished, your first thought is, 'It can't be done.'"
--Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association
"He's one of the game's giants. His shadow casts as far as anybody's."
--Barry Switzer, former coach of the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
"I don't doubt if there has ever been a better representative for college football than Tom Osborne. And he was a winner."
--Bobby Bowden, coach of the Florida State Seminoles
Tom Osborne retired in 1997 after thirty-seven years of coaching the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. Inducted into the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998, he now regularly gives motivational talks to groups in the South, Midwest, and on the West Coast. Osborne, who holds a doctorate in educational psychology, is the author of two previous books, More Than Winning and On Solid Ground. A native Nebraskan, Osborne recently won election as a member of Congress to the U.S. House of Representative. He and his wife are active in working with the Teammates Mentoring Program. They reside in Nebraska.
In July 1997, I informed Frank Solich, my assistant head coach, that I anticipated the 1997 season would be my last. I had made some personal and professional commitments contingent upon stepping aside as head football coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers that I believed needed to be honored. My major concern, however, was whether or not the university administration would promote Frank to the headcoaching pposition. If there was a desire to hire from outside the staff, I would not resign, as I believed strongly in the importance of staff continuity. I did not want to leave the coaches and players wit a new coach who might make changes in staff or philosophy that would be disruptive to the program.
Early in the season, I met with Bill Byrne, our athletic director, and James Moeser, the chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to share what I was thinking. They seemed surprised by my decision to step aside and asked that I give it further thought. They did not, however, express any serious objection the possibility of Frank's being named head coach.
As the season unfolded, I experienced conflicting emotions. I felt that it was important to do what I had said I was going to do, yet I kept hoping that something might come up that woud neccesitate my staying on. I wasn't ready to quit, yet I didn't feel right about committing to something and then not following through. Each game we played, each stadium we visited, had special meaning. Rather than coaching each game to try to win it and get it behind us, I found myself paying more attention to the physical setting, the preparation of the players as they taped, dressed, and went through their pregame rituals. I also was more aware of my emotions as the time for another kickoff approached. It was an eerie feeling to know that something that had been such a big part of my life was drawing to a close, yet the season continued to unfold with the same rhythms that so many others had.
I could relate to what former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler wrote after his last season:
"Take a good last look," I whispered to myself. Fans were cheering and throwing roses. My players were slapping hands s they counted down the last clock. "NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN!...."
Take a good last look. Somehow, on that field, at that moment, with the Big Ten title about to come our way, with another trip to Pasadena guaranteed, with my guys sweaty and bloody and whooping it up and the whole stadium on its feet--".... SIX! FIVE! FOUR!.... "--somehow, I knew I would never be back.
This would be my last game at Michigan Stadium.
I knew what Bo was talking about. Each game that we played was poignant for me, as I knew that I would not be coaching a Nebraska team against that opponent again.
Our game against the University of Missouri on November 8, 1997, was particularly memorable. We were trailing by a touchdown late in the game and Missouri had the football. We finally forced them to punt and gained possession of the football with less than a minute remaining nad no time-outs left. Our quarterback, Scott Frost, orchestrated a drive that culminated with a great diving catch in the end zone by freshman Matt Davison. The ball bounced off another receiver, Shevin Wiggins, was kicked in the air, and Matt dove and barely got his hands under the ball to tie the game. We went on to win 45-38 in overtime. It was miraculous win that enabled us to remain undefeated with a chnce of still winning the national championship.
Sometime during the week of the Missouri game, I noticed something was physically wrong with me. I normally jogged three miles after practice or spent thirty minutes on the StairMaster. I found that I could only get halfway through a workout and then became so fatigued I could no longer continue. The first time this happened, I rationalized it by reflecting on the fact that I had been putting in long hours and was a little tired. Then it happened the next night and the next, and I knew that something was really wrong. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 176
Dimensions: Length: 0.5" Width: 5.25" Height: 8.25"
Weight: 0.35 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Sep 26, 2000
Publisher WaterBrook Press
ISBN 1578563925
EAN 9781578563920
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Availability 100 units.
Availability accurate as of May 27, 2012 12:20.
Usually ships within one to two business days from La Vergne, TN.
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About this Author/Artist Tom Osborne retired in 1997 after thirty-seven years of coaching the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. Inducted into the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998, he now regularly gives motivational talks to groups in the South, Midwest, and on the West Coast. Osborne, who holds a doctorate in educational psychology, is the author of two previous books, More Than Winning and On Solid Ground. A native Nebraskan, Osborne recently won election as a member of Congress to the U.S. House of Representative. He and his wife are active in working with the Teammates Mentoring Program. They reside in Nebraska.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | FAITH IN THE GAME Aug 24, 2009 |
| Doctor/Coach Tom Osborne of Nebraska will never get his due as one of the greatest American leaders. This book gives you a taste of how he maintained a successful program and engineered one of the greatest finishes to a career in modern American history. It reveals his insights on human nature, pyschology of leadership, and basic human traits that build a successful organization. I've known and spoken with the man, and the only drawback is that his humility prevents him from too loudly tooting his own horn. If he were a prideful man, there might be even more insight into how he went about his business...but that's only a small drawback. Read everything you can get your hands on about and from Coach Osborne..it will be money well spent. | | |  | Ok read Jan 3, 2007 |
| Faith in the Game by Tom Osborne covers the coaching career of Tom Osborne. He does this with the perspective of a Christian, which I enjoyed. But, I found that the middle of the book became somewhat dry and repetitive when discussing the legal troubles of the players. But I thought the overall message of the book was good. In comparison to other books about coaching and mentoring such as "Season of Life" I found Faith in the Game to be average. | | | | Outstanding book on goal setting and acheivement! Oct 10, 2003 |
| I bought this book because I wanted to find out more about how Dr. Osborne managed to win 3 National Championships in a four year period. What surprised me was the incredible business value of the book, especially chapter 5 on Goal Setting. His process for setting and acheiving goals is simple, easy to implement and it works!
I keep buying it and sending it to managers and business executives I work with, it is a great foundation for anyone serious about growing their ability to be more productive and to acheive more. Great book! | | |  | Old Values and Chronic Success Aug 10, 2003 |
| Tom Osborne is one of the most successful college football coaches in history. His book is a wonderful treatise on how coaches and people can improve their lives and chances of success by simply preaching and practicing the basic values of our society. This book is a breath of fresh air in an increasingly fragmented and confused society. It is noteworthy that Tom Osborne's success is particularly remarkable because he never had the advantages of recruiting from a deep talent pool in Nebraska, and many of his players came from high school programs where 8 man football was common. Osborne overcame these obstacles with basic hard work, religious faith, and teamwork. This is a great book for any coach, manager, or parent. Highly recommmended. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the book is relatively short, and I would've loved to read on for several more chapters. | | | | Okay, so the style isn't Nabokov. But it's sound stuff. Dec 4, 2002 |
| The premise of Faith In the Game is simple: It's a conservative primer for life. Now, whether you agree with everything within or not is your call, but Osborne successfully states his cases while interweaving stories of his own football team over the years. His transition from society to football is pretty effortless, quite frankly, and the book serves as a nice, non-confrontational entry into conservative living and philosophy. For all those people out there who are fed up with the liberal world -- and I am not one of them, mind you -- I'd suggest this book a thousand times over before I'd let them within 20 miles of Ann Coulter's rants. Unlike Coulter and other conservative zealots, Osborne starts at the ground level of living -- for the coach, it's character -- and builds from there. In other words, the book is more a plan than an argument. And plans are generally quite a bit more persuasive. Osborne always worked in the here and now, so this is not much of a grand memoir. He's still into trying to turn it all around. Frankly, I think some of these societal problems are beyond his grasp -- Osborne is too kind and sympathetic to consider our society as anything more than a collection of misguided folks, it seems -- but you won't find a lot of sports coaches who have actually considered these issues the way Osborne has. Faith in the Game is the work of a thoughtful man. | | | Write your own review about Faith in the Game: Lessons on Football, Work, and Life
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