“When I was 14 or 15, I was a really good volleyball player, so I thought, 'Well, maybe I'll just get a scholarship to an Ivy League school through volleyball.' Then I quit when I decided to focus on theater.” WellsSchoolFocusPlayerDecidedTheaterQuittingLeagueScholarshipVolleyballIvyI QuitIvy LeagueVolleyball PlayerIvy League Schools Author:Elizabeth Olsen
“My high school coach was Ray O'Conner. He has coached a lot of players that have signed professional contracts, and many of those have gone on to play in the major leagues.” PlaySchoolSportsGonePlayerMajorsHigh SchoolCoachesLeagueContractsRaysMajor League Author:Robin Yount
“I used to play soccer when I was in Morocco, but I was more of a basketball player. I played high school basketball, I played AAU basketball.” PlaySchoolUsedPlayerBasketballHigh SchoolSoccerBasketball PlayerMorocco Author:French Montana
“I think if you're a good high school player that you have the ability to be a good college football player. If you're a good college football then you have the ability to be a great NFL player.” IfsThinkingSchoolAbilityPlayerFootballCollegeHigh SchoolNflFootball PlayerCollege FootballNfl PlayersGood CollegeGood High School Author:Robert Griffin III
“Acting is not a genteel profession. Actors used to be buried at a crossroads with a stake through the heart. Those people's performances so troubled the onlookers that they feared their ghosts. An awesome compliment. Those players moved the audience not such that they were admitted to a school, or received a complimentary review, but such that the audience feared for their soul. Now that seems to me something to aim for.” PeopleHeartSoulSeemsSchoolUsedActorsActingAudiencePlayerPerformancesAimMovedProfessionGhostUsed To BeReviewsComplimentBuriedStakesCrossroads Author:David Mamet
“My dad's father was a White Star Line trumpet player in the '20s. It shaped the way that I think about music. My grandfather was classically trained, military trained. He was an orphan who ended up in the Military School of Music in Kneller Hall.” ThinkingWaySchoolFatherStarsLinesWhitePlayerMilitaryDadMy DadHallsGrandfatherMy GrandfatherOrphanTrumpetsMilitary School Author:Elvis Costello
“I was doing all the coaching schools so that I'd be able to stay in the game, and I gave myself a chance by doing that. I was only an average player, could score a goal or two, that sort of thing, but I wasn't a Bobby Charlton or a Messi, or Ronaldo. There are very, very few really great players who have become great coaches.” TwoAbleSchoolGamesGoalChancePlayerAverageCoachesCoachingScoreReally GreatMessiGreat Coach Author:Alex Ferguson
“I was never on a mission to be an NFL quarterback. I wanted to be a good high school player, and I worked hard at that. That made me good enough to play in college and then I wanted to be a good college quarterback. During college I played well enough to make it into the NFL. I never took it for granted and really wanted to play hard at each level and I have always had a lot of fun doing what I wanted to do.” WellsMadeHardEnoughPlayWantedSchoolFunLevelsPlayerCollegeHigh SchoolMissionsGrantedNflGood EnoughQuarterbackPlay HardGood CollegeGood High School Author:Peyton Manning
“My school was 17 years as a player and another 16 watching more games probably than any coach has - all over the world, all systems. I couldn't go to school and write it down for people who are far less experienced, telling me what to do and how to do it.” PeopleWorldWritingYearsSchoolGamesPlayerCoaches Author:Andy Gray
“I want players to look neat and responsible. Maybe it's old school, but it's kind of neat when people are always clean.” PeopleWantLooksKindSchoolPlayerResponsibleCleanYankeesNeatNew York YankeesOld School Author:Joe Girardi
“I grew up in Arkansas and that's the law. My dad was a high school basketball coach, so I was raised as a coach's son and I was a baseball player back in Arkansas, and I lived in Texas, too, so I was just surrounded by sports. So that's what I was going to do: Pitch for the St Louis Cardinals. I had no idea I was going to be an actor. So I got my collar bone broken in the Kansas City Royals training camp. And once I got hurt I started doing other things for a while.” IdeasSchoolLawActorsSportsHurtCitiesPlayerSonBrokenGrewDadBasketballGrew UpTrainingHigh SchoolBaseballRaisedMy DadBonesCoachesNo IdeaTexasCampsRoyalCollarsCardinalsBaseball PlayerKansasBasketball CoachArkansasKansas CityGot HurtTraining Camp Author:Billy Bob Thornton
“We ask these players to do some very difficult things, for the team, the coaching staff, the school - at risk of injury. And when they do those things, I feel as if I'm in their debt. It's an honor to coach those guys. I want to be of service to them.” IfsWantFeelsSchoolGuyAsksDifficultPlayerRiskTeamHonorDebtCoachesCoachingInjuryStaffTigersDifficult ThingsLsuCoaching Staff Author:Les Miles
“Louisiana has a heritage of great players that play their high school football within the boundaries of Louisiana.” PlaySchoolPlayerFootballHigh SchoolBoundariesHeritageTigersLouisianaLsuHigh School Football Author:Les Miles
“Sportsmanship is that quality of honor that desires always to be courteous, fair, and respectful, and it is interpreted in the conduct of players, spectators, coaches, and school authorities.” SchoolDesireQualityPlayerHonorAuthorityFairsCoachesSpectatorsRespectfulSportsmanshipCourteous Author:Fielding H. Yost
“I was a baseball player at North Central High School in Spokane, Washington even though I was all-city in basketball, even when I signed a letter of intent to play quarterback at Washington State.” StatesPlaySchoolCitiesPlayerBasketballHigh SchoolLettersBaseballQuarterbackBaseball PlayerWashington State Author:Ryne Sandberg
“I have always been confident in my skills and once the game got going I knew I was probably the best player on the floor most of the time whether it was junior high, high school or college. I knew I had control of the game.” SchoolGamesPlayerCollegeSkillsHigh SchoolJuniorsBest PlayersJunior High Author:Larry Bird
“Have we become a cupcake league? We already have better helmets and gear. Wonder how the old school players feel about this. Not in the back of minds when talking about 18 game season so let's play football please... Even guys using shoulders to hit are getting flagged for helmet-to-helmet. Defense is getting sloppy because guys are avoiding fines and will get worse if suspending comes into play.” IfsFeelsMindPlaySchoolGuyGamesTalkingWonderPlayerFootballFinePleaseSeasonsDefenseShouldersLeagueAvoidingGearsOld SchoolHelmetSloppyCupcakesTacklingNfl Players Author:Phillip Daniels
“Football players are busy (with) study halls and tutoring. Well, anyway, at South Carolina they are. I don't know about all these other schools.” KnowsWellsSchoolStudyPlayerFootballSouthBusyHallsCarolinaFootball PlayerSouth Carolina Author:Steve Spurrier
“I think school is very important and I personally had a great experience at North Carolina, which helped shape me as a basketball player and a person. Every once in a while, you will have a player who can make the jump and have an immediate impact on the professional level, but most of the players who come out would absolutely benefit from going to college.” ThinkingPersonsImportantSchoolLevelsPlayerCollegeShapesBasketballBenefitsImpactCarolinaBasketball PlayerNorth CarolinaGreat ExperiencesGoing To College Author:Michael Jordan
“Get your education. The number of guys who are blessed to be in the league is so small compared to the number of high school players [who want to play in the league]. But one thing you can do is get your college education. If you are blessed enough to get a scholarship to play college basketball, make sure you get your college degree, too, then move on from there.” IfsWantEnoughPlaySchoolMovingGuyCan DoNumbersPlayerOne ThingCollegeBasketballDegreesHigh SchoolBlessedLeagueScholarshipCollege EducationCollege DegreeCollege Basketball Author:Tim Duncan
“I always felt like I was challenged, I was never satisfied, and I looked forward to the challenge. From studying high school players to studying kids in college, I always studied the competition, at my position in particular, to make sure I set the standard.” KidsSchoolFeltChallengesStudyPlayerPositionCollegeParticularStandardsHigh SchoolCompetitionSatisfied Author:Derrick Brooks
“I would never recruit a player who yells at his teammates, disrespected his high school coach, or scores 33 points a game and his team goes 10-10.” SchoolGamesPlayerTeamBasketballHigh SchoolCoachesCoachingScoreTeammateBasketball CoachingBasketball CoachRecruitDisrespected Author:Dean Smith
“The best way to stop the problem of agents would be for the NCAA to come down hard and suspend a school for two years if it finds players with agents on campus.” IfsWayYearsTwoHardProblemWould BeSchoolPlayerBest WayAgentsTwo YearsCampusNcaa Author:Dean Smith
“I kissed my first girl when I was 15, and then I lost my virginity when I was 17. So that's pretty good. It was just that when you're in high school, you're sort of forced into the normal world, where you're competing with the football players, just kind of in that world where somebody like me didn't quite fit in.” WorldFirstsKindSchoolGirlLostPlayerFootballFitNormalHigh SchoolLike MeCompetingVirginityFootball Player Author:James Mercer
“Playing catch is often the first professional act of the day, it's a transition from personal life to team business. Lastly, as all position players think they can pitch, at least half of us are working on our off-speed stuff likely at the detriment of our elbows and shoulders, but we can't help it. It's too much fun. My changeup has come a long way since high school.” ThinkingWayFirstsLongHelpingSchoolFunStuffHalfToo MuchPlayerTeamPositionHigh SchoolSpeedShouldersTransitionPersonal LifeLong WayElbowsToo Much Fun Author:Fernando Perez
“In the U.S., coaches could be the father next door. They had no formal training. They're like old hockey players. They don't go to school and study.” SchoolNextFatherStudyPlayerDoorsTrainingCoachesHockeyFormalHockey Player Author:Gabe Polsky
“In high school, when you're a top player, there are ways of getting eligible, ways of getting out of going to class. It made going to the next level, which is college, that much harder.” WayMadeSchoolNextLevelsClassPlayerCollegeHigh SchoolHarderNext Level Author:Chad Ochocinco
“Play more than one sport in high school. If you play, say, football and basketball, you can learn to be physical and you can take those physical aspects of both sports and become better in both sports. Basketball players use some of the same skills football players do and vice versa.” IfsPlayUseSchoolSportsPlayerFootballSkillsBasketballHigh SchoolAspectVicesVice VersaBasketball PlayerFootball Player Author:Antonio Gates
“High school football in Detroit was not easy at all. There were talented players everywhere.” SchoolEasyPlayerFootballHigh SchoolDetroitHigh School Football Author:Antonio Gates
“Everybody wants to be a professional baseball player and, sure, as a kid, I wanted to do that. But once I got cut from my high school team, I figured there wasn't much chance of that ever happening. I'm still in awe of it.” WantStillsKidsWantedSchoolChanceCuttingPlayerTeamHappeningsHigh SchoolBaseballAweBaseball Player Author:Mark Buehrle
“I'm glad I stayed in school four years. It matured me as a man and as a basketball player.” MenYearsSchoolFourPlayerBasketballGladFour YearsBasketball PlayerMatured Author:Josh Howard
“Much of modern liberalism consists of people trying to get revenge on the football players they felt inferior to in school.” PeopleTryingSchoolFeltPlayerModernFootballRevengeLiberalismInferiorsFootball PlayerModern Liberalism Author:Steve Sailer
“He is the so-called father of the modern school of chess; before him, the King was considered a weak piece and players set out to attack the King directly. Steinitz claimed that the King was well able to take care of itself, and ought not to be attacked until one had some other positional advantage. He understood more about the use of squares than Morphy and contributed a great deal more to chess theory.” WellsUseCareAbleSchoolFatherDealsPiecesPlayerModernTheoryOughtKingsUnderstoodAdvantageWeakTake CareChessSquares Author:Bobby Fischer
“I listened to my first comedy album in 6th grade. It was Bill Cosby. My brother and I would play it over and over on a Fisher Price record player. A friend in high school also introduced me to Richard Pryor. I wasn't writing material back then, but I would say funny stuff. I was good at making fun of people's moms. If I knew something personal about you, it would be used against you.” PeopleIfsWritingFirstsPlayWould BeSchoolUsedFunStuffRecordsComedyPlayerBrotherMaterialsMomHigh SchoolBillsAlbumsMy BrotherGradesFunny StuffRecord Players Author:Felipe Esparza
“I started piano lessons at age six but didn't take music seriously until I was a teenager, when I thought about a career in music. I studied classical music, and my instruments were guitar and piano. I played keyboards in bands, and after high school I went to Vienna to study at the Academy of Music. I also became a session player, which culminated in my work with Tangerine Dream.” DreamAgeSchoolCareersStudyPlayerLessonsBandSixHigh SchoolInstrumentsGuitarTeenagerPianoSessionClassical MusicAcademyKeyboardsViennaPiano LessonAfter High SchoolLife After High SchoolTangerines Author:Paul Haslinger
“I get an adrenaline rush from "playing with the big boys." I consider myself a tomboy and was an athlete in high school, so I like to "talk shop" anyway. But it's fun to actually get paid to cover the NFL with all these incredible former players and sports anchors.” BigsSchoolFunSportsBoysPlayerHigh SchoolPaidIncrediblesAthleteFormerNflShopsAnchorsAdrenalineAdrenaline Rush Author:Megan Alexander