You Have To Pay The Price

These days, Army Football games are a little bit more celebration than championship, but there was a time when West Point was the preeminent team in the country.

After putting together a 45-15-4 record as head coach at Dartmouth, Earl ‘Red’ Blaik was tapped to take over an Army program coming off two successive losing seasons.

Known as a stern and disciplined coach, Blaik turned Army’s program around in three seasons, before delivering three successive national championships in 1944, 1945, and 1946.

Across his three championship years, Army didn’t lose a single game, going 27-0-1 with their only ‘blight’ being a 0-0 tie against #2 Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium in 1946.

In 13 seasons at West Point, Blaik’s win-loss record stood at 121-33-10. He coached three Heisman Trophy winners. And perhaps his greatest contribution was the glittering array of assistant coaches that he mentored, including Paul Dietzel and Murray Warmath (both of whom went on to coach national champions of their own), as well as Sid Gillman and Vince Lombardi (both of whom would go on to change the face of pro football).

Despite being described by Lombardi as “the greatest coach I’ve ever known,” Blaik deflects any recognition onto his players. He believes his best teams all had players who unwaveringly subscribed to the values that anyone would associate with the US Military Academy; hard word, sacrifice, and unsurpassed team morale.

In his book You Have To Pay The Price, Blaik writes that in each player’s locker he’d post a page of his football axioms, which he believed were words to live by.

This is what was written on that page:

— There never was a champion who to himself was a good loser. There’s a vast difference between a good sport and a good loser.

— Physical pressure on the foe is essential. Mental pressure will make him crack.

— A relaxed player performs best. A sense of humour and good fun keep one relaxed.

— Without ambition and enthusiasm for your work, the parade will pass you by.

— Good fellows are a dime a dozen, but an aggressive leader is priceless.

— Games are not won on the rubbing table.

— The essence of the long gainer is superior downfield blocking.

— Inches make the champion, and the champion makes his own luck.

— There is no substitute for work. It is the price of success.