28 John Madden Quotes About Football and Life

Let's check out some of the most memorable John Madden quotes about football and life.

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - John Madden quotes are popular among football fans and people who love strong advice. John Madden was one of the most loved figures in American football. He started as a coach and led the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl win in 1977. Later, he became a famous TV commentator known for his big personality and clear way of talking. His name became a symbol of the sport itself. It even appeared on one of the best-selling sports video games in history.

What made John Madden special was his ability to say the right thing at the right time. His words were direct, honest, and full of passion. Many John Madden quotes carry lessons about hard work, teamwork, and never giving up. Many people find strength and motivation in his words, not just football fans. Reading them can lift your mood, push you to try harder, and remind you what truly matters.

In this article, you will find a collection of John Madden quotes that can inspire your daily life. We gathered them from various sources, Tuesday (24/3/2026). Let's check them out.

John Madden Quotes About Football

1. "At the end of the game, the team with the most points on the board is going to win."

2. "You can't win a game if you don't score any points."

3. "Well, when you're playing good football, it's good football and if you don't have good football, then you're not really playing good football."

4. "The quarterback has to get rid of the ball quickly, so there's not a lot of time to make moves to gain separation."

5. "I always used to tell my players that we are here to win! And you know what, Al? When you don't win, you lose."

6. "The best way to gain more yards is advance the ball down the field from the line of scrimmage."

7. "When you have great players, playing great, well that's great football!"

8. "Thursday night football is here to stay. So we're looking at ways to make it safer. Now they're playing division games, so you limit travel. Now the question is, should you play Sunday night before a Thursday night?"

9. "Having been in football all my life as a player and a coach and having been on the sideline, I think the closer we can get to bringing people what it's like standing and watching the game on the sideline, with a better view, would be the perfect situation for television football."

10. "Usually, the team that turns the ball over less will hold on to the ball more."

11. "The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break."

12. "I've always said winning's the great deodorant, and conversely, when you have a bad record - everything stinks - and everything starts to unravel, and everything falls apart."

13. "If you see a defense team with dirt and mud on their backs they've had a bad day."

14. "Knowing his coach likes him is more important to a player than anything else. To me, it was important to be able to chew out a player for screwing up and for him to accept it because he knew I liked him anyway."

15. "Discipline in football occurs on the field, not off it. Discipline is knowing what you're supposed to do and doing it as best you can."

16. "I respect coaches; I respect what good coaches do. I know that you don't learn to be a coach in an hour and a half."

17. "Football isn't nuclear physics, but it's not so simple that you can make it simple. It takes some explaining to get it across."

18. "When your arm gets hit, the ball is not going to go where you want it to."

Inspirational John Madden Quotes

1. "Don't worry about the horse being blind, just load the wagon."

2. "Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble."

3. "The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer."

4. "If a guy doesn't work hard and doesn't play well, he can't lead anything. All he is, is a talker."

5. "The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."

6. "Coaches have to watch for what they don't want to see and listen to what they don't want to hear."

7. "Give something that wasn't expected."

8. "I never professed to be perfect. I do something wrong or something stupid, I laugh at myself."

9. "If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch."

10. “Some yards is better than none yards.”