27 National Championship Pre-Game Quotes

27 National Championship Pre-Game Quotes From Urban Meyer, Mark Helfrich And Others

What does it take to be the best leader you could possibly be?  Even more, what does it take to be the best leader in your field of discipline?  Tonight, the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes will face each other to determine college football’s national champion.
This is leadership on the highest level, the biggest stage and in the most pressure-packed environment.  The following are 27 pre-game quotes captured from ESPN’s coverage which give you insight in becoming the best leader you can be.

1. Great Leaders Are Bigger Than The Moment – “It is the biggest moment of your life and your nervous.” – Tim Tebow
2. Great Leaders Have High Intelligence – “He’s (Oregon Ducks head football coach Mark Helfrich) one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever been around.” – Chip Kelly
3. Great Leaders Have Excellent Communication Skills – “He’s (Helfrich) an excellent communicator.” – Kelly
4. Great Leaders Are Timeless – “Urban (Meyer) is one of the all-time coaches in college football.” – Kelly
5. Great Leaders Are Generous – “That’s what college football coaches do.  They share ideas.” – Kelly
6. Great Leaders Do Not Make Unnecessary Mistakes – “That’s going to be the determining factor in who wins this game – turnovers.” – Lee Corso
7. Great Leaders Are Great Decision-Makers – “For a young quarterback it is very hard to decipher between zone and man-to-man defense.” – Kirk Herbstreit
8. Great Leaders Earn Credibility Through Accomplishment – “He’s (Meyer) been able to relate to the players…He’s won two national championships already and that comes with a lot of clout.” – Archie Griffin
9. Great Leaders Have High Energy To Achieve Maximum Success – “You can’t defend fatigue.” – Meyer
10. Great Leaders Deal With And Overcome Adversity – “They (Ohio State) have handled adversity all year long with three quarterbacks and the death of a teammate.” – Herbstreit
11. Great Leaders Focus On Accomplishment – “You can’t tell if your best husband.  You can’t tell your the best father…You can tell you have the best football team.” – President George Bush
12. Great Leaders Pay A Higher Price Than Average Leaders – “I got on the bus after winning the national championship and threw up.  I put everything into that game.  There was nothing left.” – Tebow
13. Great Leaders Need A Great Team Around Them – “I’m a national champion not because of what I did.  But what other people did.” – Lou Holtz
14. Great Leaders Sense And Seize Opportunity – “It’s a place where you have a chance to win it all” – Helfrich
15. Great Leaders Have Great Character – “He’s (Marcus Mariota) a great person who knows how to lead.” – Meyer
16. Great Leaders Process Large Amounts Of Information Quickly – “He (Mariota) can process a lot of information at great speed…He’s arguably the fastest guy on the field tonight but his mind is even faster.” – Kelly
17. Great Leaders Prepare Everyone On Their Teams – “They’re all getting 30-40 reps a day in practice.” – Kelly on the entire Oregon team in practice
18. Great Leaders Remain Calm During Times Of Chaos – “It’s his (Mariota) leadership.  He is very even-keeled out there.” – Mark Dantonio
19. Great Leaders Are Thorough.  Nothing Falls Through The Cracks – “Have you given them the situation over and over again in practice so they can enjoy the game?” – Meyer
20. Great Leaders Are Not Passive – “We’re an aggressive team.” – Meyer
21. Great Leaders Keep Things In Perspective – “He’s (Meyer) able to keep things in perspective…He’s not overdoing it.” – Tebow
22. Great Leaders Are Continual Learners – “Urban Meyer learns from other coaches.” – Desmond Howard
23. Great Leaders Set High Goals – “My goals are always right beside my bed.  They are a constant reminder.” – Mariota
24. Great Leaders Deal With Great Pressure Every Day – “There is so much pressure on him (Mariota)…He is the best player in the country and he must play like it.” – Tebow
25. Great Leaders Finish Well – “Marcus Mariota is 50th in the nation in red zone passing…He completes 41% of his passes.” – Corso and David Pollack
26. Great Leaders Are Business-Like – “We’re good.  We’re very business-like.” – Meyer
27. Great Leaders Focus On The Good Of Others – “Why do you do what you do?  You don’t do it for yourself.  If you do it for your teammates you have a chance to win this game.” – Meyer