Anson Dorance Core Values

Anson Dorrance is one of the greatest American coaches.  He not only is a great teacher of the soccer, but he is a mastermind of the character elements of teaching.  Don Meyer has always been a huge advocate of him, and that carries a lot of weight for me because I think Don Meyer is also one of the greatest coaches of our time. I think you will really like this resource and hope you can take a few items from it.

Anson Dorrance Core Values

Fundamentals for Creating a Great Life

Abraham Lincoln’s Top 10 Fundamentals for Creating a Great Life

1. See the positive in people - “If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.”
2. Be honest - “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”
3. Unite - “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
4. Create a friend where there isn't one - “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.”
5. Believe in and go after your own success - "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one"thing.”
6. Persist - “Hold on with a bulldog grip, and chew and choke as much as possible.”
7. Take responsibility for your own life - “You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”
8. Sharpen you ax - “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.”
9. Happiness is optional - “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be."
10. Live your life fully - “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Coaching Quote #67: Dreams

“It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.”

--- Randy Pausch

Coaching Quote 43: Formula For Failure

"I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody."

--- Herbert B. Swope

John Wooden: Looking For the Right Things

There’s an old story about a fellow who went to a small town in Indiana with the thought of possibly moving his family there. “What kind of people live around here?” he asked the attendant at the local filling station.


“Well,” the attendant replied as he checked the oil, “what kind of people live back where you’re from"
The visitor took a swallow of his cherry soda and replied, “They’re ornery, mean, and dishonest.”
The attendant looked up and answered, “Mister, you’ll find them about like that around here, too.”

A few weeks later, another gentleman stopped by the gas station on a muggy July afternoon with the same question. “Excuse me,” he said as he mopped off his brow. “I’m thinking of moving to your town with my family. What kind of people live around these parts?”

Again the attendant asked, “Well, what kind of people live back where you’re from?”
The stranger thought for a moment and replied, “I find them to be kind, decent, and honest folks.”
The gas station attendant looked up and said, “Mister, you’ll find them about like that around here, too.”

It’s so true. You often find what you’re looking for.   --- John Wooden

Coaching Quote #40: 100%

"I've got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end,"

--- Larry Bird

Tom Crean: Winning College Games

"The Five Most Important Factors inWinning College Games"
1. The team that recorded the high field goal percentage was the winner in 75 percent of the games.

2. The team that scored the most free throws was the eventual winner in 70 percent of the games.

3. The team that recovered the higher number of rebounds was the winner 65 percent of the time.

4. The team that committed the higher number of personal fouls was the eventual winner in only 25 percent of the games.

5. The team that held the point advantage at halftime was the winner 74 percent of the time.

Statistics from 2005 Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big 12, and CUSA Season

Coaching Quote #37: You

"You are what you do."

--- Don Meyer

Coaching #32: Dominating Your Opponent

-“The scoreboard has nothing to do with the process. Each possession you look across at the opponen and commit yourself to dominate that person. It’s about individuals dominating the individuals they’re playing against. If you can do this…if you can focus on the one possession and wipe out the distractions…then you will be satisfied with the result.”

--- Nick Saban

Coaching Qhote #8: Drivers and Shooters

"Make drivers shooters and shooters drivers."

--- Duane Silver