Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing

Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing is a well-known quote in sports. It exemplifies a form of unfettered competitiveness that has permeated American sports. Its assertion about the importance of winning has been touted as a basic tenet of the American sports creed and, at the same time, singled out as encapsulating what is purportedly right with competitive sports.

It is attributed to UCLA Bruins football coach Henry Russell ("Red") Sanders, who spoke two different versions of the quote. In 1950, at a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo physical education workshop, Sanders told his group: "Men, I'll be honest. Winning isn't everything. (Long pause.) Men, it's the only thing!" [Rosenbaum, Art - INDIANS FAR FROM BASHFUL AT CHOW, Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Oct 18, 1950. p. C3 (1 page)] In 1955, in a Sports Illustrated article preceding the 1956 Rose Bowl, he was quoted as saying "Sure, winning isn't every thing, It's the only thing." [Sayre, Joe - He Flies On One Wing. Sports Illustrated, December 26, 1955]

This credo has served as counterpoint to the well known sentiment by sports journalist Grantland Rice that, it's “not that you won or lost but how you played the game," and to the Modern Olympic creed expressed by its founder Pierre de Coubertin: "The most important thing . . . is not winning but taking part (in the Games).”

The quote widely attributed to American football coach Vince Lombardi; who probably heard the phrase from UCLA coach Henry Russell Sanders.Maraniss, David] Lombardi is on record using the quote as early as 1959 in his opening talk on the first day of the Packers’ training camp. The quote captured the American public's attention during Lombardi's highly successful reign as coach of the Packers in the 1960s. Over time, the quote took on a life of its own. The words graced the walls of locker rooms, ignited pre-game pep talks, and echoed from the rafters of banquet halls. According to the late James Michener's "Sports in America", Lombardi claimed to have been misquoted. What he intended to say was "Winning isn't everything. The will to win is the only thing."Michener, James A]

References

Bibliography

*Maraniss, David - "When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi". Simon & Schuster, 2000. (Chapter 21, "Winning Isn't Everything" and Chapter 22, "It's the Only Thing.")
*Michener, James A - Sports in America. Fawcett Crest, 1987. ISBN:0449214508
*Overman, Steven J. - “'Winning isn't Everything. It's the Only Thing': The Origin, Attributions and Influence of a Famous Football Quote,” "Football Studies". [http://www.aafla.org/index/FootballStudies.html Volume 2 Issue 2 (October 1999)] . [http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/1999/FS0202h.pdf full text]