87 Football Quotes & 7 Exciting Facts about the Sport
Whether you’re shouting for your favorite team, cheering on your child at their game or giving it your all on the field, there’s no doubt that football brings out people’s passion like nothing else. Find here the most motivational football quotes to think about.
The words of football greats over the years can offer a lot of inspiration to football fans, both young and old. After all, the sport wouldn’t be where it is today without them.
The quotes below can offer a boost of motivation for both players getting ready to take to the field, as well as those of us who just need that extra kick for the task at hand.
And if you want to learn more about this beloved sport, we have a collection of interesting facts about American football for you below.
Best Quotes and Sayings about Football
Football is one of America’s favorite pastimes, with many fans splitting the year into the four seasons of winter, spring, summer and football season.
And when this season comes around, you can be sure that fans are stocking up for game day with snacks and drinks on Sundays, all kitted out in their team’s gear.
And with more than 100 million fans tuning in to the Super Bowl each year, the love America has for this sport can’t be emphasized enough. What better way to express this love for your favorite sport than with a few choice football quotes.
Whether you’re looking for some words to give you an extra boost before your next game, an Instagram caption for your stadium night post or a famous quote from a football legend, you’ll have your pick of the lot with our quotes below.
Find here motivational gym quotes.
Motivational Quotes about Football
We all experience those times when we are lacking in motivation, whether you’re a football player or just a fan who needs a pick-me-up.
During these times, we can draw on the principles of successful football players as a reminder that success does not come without hardships.
We must remember, the only way to overcome tough times is with continued effort and constant belief in yourself – just like football players demonstrate every game.
Read these motivational quotes when you feel like you’re in a slump to reignite that spark.
- You wonder how they do it and you look to see the knack
You watch the foot in action, or the shoulder or the back,
But when you spot the answer where the higher glamours lurk
You’ll find in moving higher up the laurel covered spire
That most of it is practice and the rest of it is work.
(Grantland Rice, American sports writer, 1880–1954) - You can become a winner only if you are willing to walk over the edge.
(Damon Runyon, American journalist, 1880–1946) - Failure is the only opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
(Henry Ford, American industrialist, 1863–1947) - Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. (Babe Ruth, American baseball pitcher, 1895–1948)
- You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.
(Babe Ruth, American baseball pitcher, 1895–1948) - Most of us never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second.
(William James, American philosopher and psychologist, 1842–1910) - It never gets easier, you just get better.
(Unknown) - Don’t wait for opportunity. Create it.
(Unknown) - Great results never came from comfort zones.
(Unknown) - If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.
(Thomas Jefferson, former US President, 1743–1826) - We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.
(Aristotle, Greek philosopher, 384–322 B.C.)
Find here more quotes about success.
Best Inspirational Football Quotes
When you believe in yourself, there is no limit to what you can accomplish. And no professional football player ever got to where they are without believing in themselves first.
The inspirational football quotes below demonstrate just how important it is to believe in yourself and keep pushing for what you want, just like your favorite football player.
With quotes from professional athletes and esteemed writers, you are sure to find the inspiration to follow your dreams.
- I never was content unless I was trying my skill… or testing my endurance.
(Jim Thorpe, American football player and athlete, 1887–1953) - Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.
(Babe Ruth, American baseball pitcher, 1895–1948) - Winners never quit and quitters never win. Sports do not build character. They reveal it.
(Heywood Broun, American journalist, 1888–1939) - The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
(Mark Twain, American writer, 1835–1910) - There is nothing impossible to they who will try.
(Alexander the Great, former King of Macedonia, 356–323 B.C.) - Belief creates the actual fact.
(William James, American philosopher and psychologist, 1842–1910) - Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
(Henry David Thoreau, American naturalist and essayist, 1817–1862) - You learn more from failure than from success. Don’t let it stop you. Failure builds character.
(Unknown) - Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
(Thomas Edison, American inventor and businessman, 1847–1931) - You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.
(George Lorimer, American journalist and editor, 1867–1937)
Famous Quotes about Football
Football has seen many legends come and go since its beginnings more than 100 years ago. And many of these legends have left behind some famous messages that are still worth reciting to this day.
Share your favorite famous football quote with your fellow football fanatics.
Maybe even share them to your social media to spread your love for the sport and reminisce about some of the nuggets of wisdom that have been shared over the years.
- One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it.
(Knute Rockne, American football player and coach, 1888–1931) - Football games aren’t won, they’re lost.
(Fielding Yost, American football player and coach, 1871–1946) - Play fair, but play hard; win if you can, lose if you must – but take your victories modestly and your whippings without a whimper!
(Walter Camp, American football player and coach, 1859–1925) - There’s no substitute for hard work and effort beyond the call of duty. That is what strengthens the soul and ennobles one’s character.
(Walter Camp, American football player and coach, 1859–1925) - True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is noise – the other, loyalty.
(Fielding Yost, American football player and coach, 1871–1946) - When you find your opponent’s weak spot, hammer it.
(John Heisman, American football coach, 1869–1936) - Football is a game played with arms, legs and shoulders but mostly from the neck up.
(Knute Rockne, American football player and coach, 1888–1931) - The secret of winning football games is working more as a team, less as individuals. I play not my 11 best, but my best 11.
(Knute Rockne, American football player and coach, 1888–1931) - Win or lose, do it fairly.
(Knute Rockne, American football player and coach, 1888–1931) - Show me a gracious loser and I’ll show you a failure.
(Knute Rockne, American football player and coach, 1888–1931)
Are you looking for more famous quotes? Here you’ll find them.
Funny Football Quotes to Laugh At
As wise as some of the football quotes can be, there is certainly some comic relief to be found here too.
From witty remarks from football personalities to cheeky sayings about the sport, you are sure to have a giggle at the funny football quotes we’ve collected below.
Share your favorite football quip with a friend to spread the laughter and brighten their day.
- I’ve found that prayers work best when you have big players.
(Knute Rockne, American football player and coach, 1888–1931) - Gentlemen, it is better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football.
(John Heisman, American football coach, 1869–1936) - Football is, after all, a wonderful way to get rid of your aggression without going to jail for it.
(Heywood Broun, American journalist, 1888–1939) - Actions speak louder than coaches.
(Unknown) - Today’s forecast: 100% chance of winning.
(Unknown) - Why did the football coach go to the bank? To get his quarterback.
(Unknown) - Did you hear about the fishing hook that was oversensitive? It was a defensive tackle.
(Unknown) - Thinking your team could beat us is real fantasy football.
(Unknown) - There’s only a little difference between champs and chumps.
(Unknown) - It’s not whether you win or lose. It’s how you play the game…but winning does feel pretty good, though.
(Unknown)
Short Quotes about Football and Coaches
The importance of football coaches within the sport cannot be overstated; the effect they have on a team can be the difference between winning and losing.
With all the responsibility they bear, football coaches often have the best insight and words of wisdom to share on the sport.
Here we have gathered some short quotes about football and coaches, including both quotes from coaches themselves and quotes about what it takes to be a coach.
Whether you are a player or a coach yourself, you are sure to find some relevant insight into the game in the quotes below.
- One loss is good for the soul, too many losses is not good for the coach.
(Knute Rockne, American football player and coach, 1888–1931) - A coach’s greatest asset is his sense of responsibility – the reliance placed on him by his players.
(Knute Rockne, American football player and coach, 1888–1931) - Even while they teach, men learn.
(Seneca, Ancient Roman philosopher, 4 B.C.–65 A.D.) - If at first you don’t succeed, try doing what your coach told you to do the first time.
(Unknown) - It is not what the coach knows; it is what his players have learned.
(Unknown) - Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths.
(John Peter Zenger, German journalist, 1697–1746) - If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
(John Quincy Adams, former US President, 1767–1848) - A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.
(Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher and writer, circa 5th century) - To lead people, walk behind them.
(Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher and writer, circa 5th century) - If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
(African proverb)
Football Quotes for Kids
Football can teach kids many important life lessons, such as dedication, perseverance and commitment.
The sport can show children how important hard word is in achieving your goals and the football quotes below can inspire them to give it their all both on and off the field.
Share the quotes below with the kids in your life and help them learn a bit more about the game and life in general.
- Believe you can and you’re halfway there.
(Theodore Roosevelt, former US President, 1858–1919) - 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.
(Fielding Yost, American football player and coach, 1871–1946) - I’m a firm believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it.
(Thomas Jefferson, former US President, 1743–1826) - You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.
(Babe Ruth, American baseball pitcher, 1895–1948) - It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.
(Grantland Rice, American sports writer, 1880–1954) - Everything you want is always on the other side of fear.
(Unknown) - If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.
(Henry Ford, American industrialist, 1863–1947) - The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.
(Babe Ruth, American baseball pitcher, 1895–1948) - A boat doesn’t go forward if each one is rowing their own way.
(Swahili proverb) - If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
(Isaac Newton, English polymath, 1643–1727)
Best Football Instagram Captions
The perfect football Instagram post deserves the perfect caption.
With so many opportunities to share your passion for the sport – from attending games to playing them and hosting Game Day celebrations – you need lots of options for captioning your snapshot.
The Instagram captions below include cheeky, “punny” captions as well as phrases showing your support for your team.
Have a read and choose your favorite for your own football post. They are even great for using as status updates on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter.
- Teamwork makes the dream work
- Sundays are for football
- Punt intended
- Winners train, losers complain
- Here for the football and friends… but mostly for the food
- Our blood, our sweat, your tears
- Some wish for it, we work for it
- Love you to the end zone and back
- Hustle and heart set us apart
- 'Tis the season… football season, that is
- Putting my game face on
- I like big punts and I cannot lie
- It’s game day, people!
- Pride, passion and pretzels
- Friends who watch football together, stay together
Quotes about a Football Mom
Raising a football player can be a tough gig – driving them to and from their many games and practice sessions, making sure their jerseys are clean, packing snacks and, of course, shouting for them from the sidelines.
But when you get to celebrate a victory with them, it all becomes worth it.
The quotes and sayings below capture what it takes to be a football mom, the passion they have for their little champion, and the importance of this support for young players.
- I can’t keep calm, I’m a football mom!
(Unknown) - Behind every football player who believes in himself is a football mom who believed in him first.
(Unknown) - I am a football mom: my house smells like a gym, there’s mud in my car, my fridge is empty, my Saturdays are full, and my lungs are sore.
(Unknown) - I never dreamed I’d grow up to be the super cool mom of a football kid, but here I am.
(Unknown) - I’m not yelling. This is my football mom voice.
(Unknown) - I’m not a regular mom, I’m a football mom.
(Unknown) - All moms are created equal, but only the luckiest become football moms.
(Unknown) - I’m a football mom. I could be quiet, but it’s highly unlikely.
(Unknown) - Don’t make me use my soccer mom voice.
(Unknown) - Hell hath no fury like a losing football mom.
(Unknown) - You don’t have to be crazy to be a football mom, but it sure helps.
(Unknown)
Exciting Facts about Football
Having been around for more than 100 years, football has an interesting history full of exciting facts. From its humble beginnings, modern advance have certainly changed the game we know and love today.
Below we have gathered some of the most exciting facts about football and its history in America.
Between the cost of a Super Bowl commercial and the records held by various teams, you’re sure to find a fact worth sharing with your fellow football fans.
- American football evolved from soccer and rugby. Originally, football started out as a mix of soccer and rugby. The first game was played in 1869 between Princeton and Rutgers.
- A 30-second Super Bowl ad costs 7 million dollars. This marks a 64.7 percent increase since 2015.
- The longest NFL game ever played was in 1971. The Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs battled it out for a whopping 82 minutes and 40 seconds, spanning 4 quarters plus overtime.
- Denver Broncos have the most Super Bowl losses. Having reached the Super Bowl seven times, the Broncos have unfortunately lost five of these championship games.
- The longest field goal record was achieved in the 2021 NFL season. Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker beat the previous record for longest field goal with his 66-yard kick, ultimately winning his team the game.
- The NFL is tax-exempt. It is also considered to be a non-profit. NFL rookies can expect to earn a minimum of 420,000 dollars.
- The Super Bowl originally had a different name. It wasn’t always called the Super Bowl – originally, it was just called the NFL-AFL Championship Game. This was until Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, coined the nickname the Super Bowl.