"We're going to turn this program around 360 degrees!" --Red Wilson.
Despite his sometimes twisted remarks, by the end Red really did make Duke football a winner. Can you imagine a Blue Devil football coach getting canned now for going 6-5?
I think it'd be cool to get a list going of memorable, inspirational, or funny quotes from Duke coaches over the years.
Last edited by -jk; 02-19-2009 at 10:47 PM. Reason: superfluous link
"We're going to turn this program around 360 degrees!" --Red Wilson.
Despite his sometimes twisted remarks, by the end Red really did make Duke football a winner. Can you imagine a Blue Devil football coach getting canned now for going 6-5?
"Here's to NEVER forgetting tonight."
One of the best ever. The fact that the Duke scoreboard at Cameron showed the score of that game until the first game of the NEXT year is just gravy.
My nominations:
"Our students had class, and our team had class. There was not a person on our bench who was pointing at officials or banging on scorer's tables...So let's get some things straight around here and quit the double standard that exists in this league."
And from the pep rally the night before (I think) the 1998 Carolina game (the big comeback Duke won in stunning fashion, noteworthy for Wojo's Valvano-like careening towards Coach K for a hug on Senior Night):
"One more thing -- when we win tomorrow night, leave those g**d*** nets up there!"
At the post-game press conference after we beat Arkansas in the National Semi-Finals (Denver, 1990): the question was asked 'Coach, how do you feel?'
The response: 'Not bad considering I just went through forty minutes of Hell' (referring to Arkansas' vaunted defense, and some odd pre-game comments made by then Coach Nolan Richardson).
It was a commercial, but shows K's lighter side:
"Can I get a wake up call for Mr. Glenn Big Dog Robinson"
Driver "Hey...are you coach Kookowooskies?"
K "Yes I am"
"We're got a million to one chance of beating Clemson."
Steve Spurrier, prior to Duke's exciting road win over Clemson, capped by a Duke fullback who scored the winning touchdown carrying at least four Clemson defenders on his back into the end zone.
"We're winning on Wednesday!" - K referring to Carolina@Duke 1997.
And win we did, for the only time against Carolina anywhere during my 4 years at Duke.
___________________
Mike Stein
Trinity '97, Tent #1 '97
Tampa
"We've got a million to one chance of beating Clemson".
That was a home game and Randy Cuthbert was the back.
"Let's beat those mother-"frickers"!" Coach K's pregame pep talk on the bus before they beat UNLV in 1991.
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com
Tim Brando was a guest on the Adam Gold show this morning on 850 The Buzz. I immediately thought of this thread because enlight of the Roy "quote" last night, Brando added some famous quotes from history.. I am in a rush and do not want to miss the start of the 2nd half so I will share more on this after the game tonight.
When referring to Mr. Sanctimonious himself, Bill Foster noted:
"I thought it was Naismith who invented basketball, not DeanSmith"
Steve Blake: "I knocked you out."
Chris Duhon: "Actually (looking up at the scoreboard), I knocked you out."
2001 Final Four game vs. Maryland, following Duhon's return to the game after a midair collision with Blake in the second half.
"There can BE only one."
"If I ever act like that, just shoot me."
--K during the 1984 UNC/Duke game in Cameron after Dean pounded on the scorer's table without receiving a technical
"A lot of field goals are missed wide right or wide left".
And, my favorite from a particularly cold, late season practice in Durham, "Today is the coldest day in America".
But, I could not agree more that while colorful, Coach Wilson was also generally a winner (2-8-1, 2-9, 6-5 and 6-5). The guy was 12-10 over his last two years including 6-6 in the ACC. In his final season, they won 3 of their last 4 including a season finale win over UNC. And, within hours (as I recall, Butters fired him that night), he was out of a job. They beat Tennessee that year (albeit on opening day). They finished 3rd in the ACC! He won 6 games back to back years. The last time Duke had won 6 games was in 1974. And, Wilson did it twice. Crazy. Steve Sloan took over a team with a pretty solid offense (Bennett, Grayson, Boone) and they lost their first 7 games.
From what I heard, the team had little or no respect for Red his last year. They openly laughed at him during team meetings. At, not with. Steve Spurrier had been the driving force behind the offense, and once he left (for Tampa Bay in the USFL?), Butters wanted to move on. Right or wrong, that's what I heard.
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com