William Hollis" 'If you believe, anything is possible', pre game motivation - 2017

You a freshman and you know a senior in this room, you give him everything in your body today. You break your neck to break they neck. That's how you win big games. You hit them in the mouth. You hit them in the mouth, kings. Every single one of y'all in here are kings. You kings. So when you step on that field again you don't say, "Let's go my nigger." You say, "Let's go, king." This is our house.

I was born a king. I was born to be a winner. I was born to be a champion. The difference between a champion and a loser is a mindset. Once you put your mind set, once you put your mindset where a killer mindset is, ain't nobody going to stop you. Because I'ma tell you now, this game is not for nice people. And y'all know this. This game is not for nice people. This game is for young men running around neighbourhoods knowing if they don't make a play, if they don't get a scholarship, they going to die in that neighbourhood. They going to end up another statistic.

See, some people play the game for the Gatorade and the cheerleaders. And some people play the game because they know they got to save they family life. They got to make a way. They family tree is rotting so they got to replant one. And what football gives you the ability to do, it gives you the ability to leave the slums, go to one of the nicest colleges in the world, build your own name, build your own legacy, get drafted, and tell your momma and your daddy, and your sister, "We leaving the hood today. And you know why we leaving? Because I was unselfish. Because I left everything, I left everything on the field."

I want you guys to believe. Don't just listen to me. Feel me in your soul. Believe you can win. Believe you can win. Because we only get one shot at this, kings. We didn't come this far to come this far. I'ma repeat that: we didn't come this far to come this far. We came here to be champions. We came here to be one of the number one schools in the country. We came here to show even people in our own city, "They're scouting us. That you will be my fan. You will follow me, and you will bite your words." Because the head coach, you got all these coaches, all these men around you, that's the blessing. That's who you play for.

Because at the end of the day, you guys are going to ... I'm telling you, it's going to go fast. It's going to go fast. One day you going to be riding down the street, you're going to see your coach, you're going to say, "Coach, all the lessons you gave me, I should've listened." There's going to be somebody that say that, "I should've listened." But tonight, if you listen to every single word your coaches say, if you be unselfish, if you don't think about yourself, if you don't think about that, all them thousands of fans standing on the outside, put your mind frame on the field, keep your mind frame on the field ... And when you step off that bus, you tighten up your tie and you say, "This is my business deal." And you're going to close the deal or you're going to fold.

When I stepped on the field, I had a mind frame. My mother was a heroin addict. So when I stepped on the field, I thought about, "I want to save my momma life." This man in front of me is going to stop me from saving my momma. He's going to stop me from saving my brothers and my sisters. He's going to stop me from taking my brothers and sisters away from crack heads, and drug addicts every day. And when I looked at my opponent across from me, I told him, "You not hungry enough. You don't want this enough. My life on the line."

You hear me, kings? Your life on the line today. Everything on the line. If you go out there and let them hit you in your mouth, and beat you, you quit. Those teenage boys just like you teenage boys. They be just like you. They go to class just like you. So you going to just let a man stand in front of you and say, "I'm more man than you?" Or you going to hit him in the mouth and say, "Eh boys, we came to fight. I ain't got to talk to you. I ain't got to bicker to you. I'm going to hit you your mouth for 60 minutes."

Kings, whatever you do today, you leave every drop of your blood on that field today. I'm proud of you. We ain't lost a draw. But I want you all to remember one thing, kings, remember one thing: the best gifts come from the bottom. You all know what I'm talking about. Like when you open up that cereal box as a kid, that gift was at the bottom. You had to eat through all that to get that gift at the bottom. That's your season. That's your season. You had to eat through all of that. Coaches cussing you out, trying to get your grades together, arguing in study hall, arguing with teammates, fighting with teammates.

Now, today is the day that you put all that in the package, you put all that in the grenade, and you blow Hoover Stadium up tonight. You let them know that Sparkman football is here for years to come. But the legacy, it starts today. I'm King Hollis man. I love y'all. Go out there and become champions. You all be blessed.

Any questions? Any questions? Any questions, kings? Any questions? How you all feeling, kings? I really want to talk to y'all a minute. How you all feeling, for real?

William Hollis: Y'all believe you all got this?

Students: Yeah.

William Hollis: You all got this, kings?

Students: Got this. Yeah.

William Hollis: I'm trying to celebrate tonight. It's Friday night, I'm trying to be looking on my cellphone, and I'm trying to see this win. That's what I'll be looking for all day. That's all I'm going to be looking for.

Wide receivers, run every run like your life depends on it. Line backers, break your neck to break they neck. I don't care about injuries. Offensive line, get nasty. Get nasty. If you hit them in ... The first plan of game, hit him in his mouth. I don't care if it's a draw play, you block him to the whistle is over with. Make him say, "This dude is this extra." Make him say, "This dude is this crazy."

A year and a half ago I was homeless on the side of a [inaudible 00:06:57] gas station, Kings, with a cracked vertebrae. Couldn't play football no more. Doctor says, "50/50 chance you could either play again, but it's a 75, 85% chance you going to be a paraplegic." So I had to take this kid, I was a special Asperger kid, I couldn't read until I was 16, I had to leave the only game I knew. I ended up homeless on that gas station, at that gas station, on the side of that gas station. I got out, Kings. I walked to a school and I volunteered to speak to a group of kids. Just like you kids. Just like you. [inaudible 00:07:28] were ready to call me back and they say, "Will how much you charge?"

Today kings, in a year and a half, I'm over 20 million total viewers on YouTube, made history on in Milan, spoke to Jacksonfield Jaguars. Robert Alfred share my motivation on his videos, on his Instagram. And it goes to show you kings, if you believe, king, anything is possible. Anything is possible.

Ian McGeechan - 'Be special for the rest of your lives', pre game 2nd Test, Lions Tour - 1997

28 June 1997, King's Park, Durban, South Africa

There are days like this ... when many ruby players never have it. Never experience it. It’s special.

Jim and I have been involved in rugby a long time.

I can tell you , these are the things , these are the days that you never believe will come again.

It has.

And I can tell you. I’ve given a lot of things up.

I love my rugby. And I love my family.

And when you come to a day like this, you know why you do it all.

You know why you;ve been involved. It’s been a privilege -- is a privilege. Because we’re something special.

You’ll meet each other in the street in thirty years time, and there’ll just be a look, and you’ll know just how special some days in your life are.

We’ve proved that the lion has claws and has teeth.

We’ve wounded a springbok.

When an animal is wounded it returns in frenzy.

It doesn’t think. It fights for its very existence.

The lion waits, and at the right point, it goes for the jugular.

And the life disappears.

Today, every second of that game -- we’ve talked about what they’re going to do, or everybody else has -- we go for the jugular.

Every tackle, every pass, every kick, is saying, you’re a fucking springbok, you’re dying.

Your hopes of living in this test series -- are going.

And on that field sometimes today, all it will be between you is a look. No words, just a look. That will say everything.

And the biggest thing it will say is, ‘you are special’

You are very, very special.

It has been, and is, a privilege.

Go out, enjoy it, remember how you’ve got here, and why.

And finish it off.

And be special for the rest of your lives.

Good luck, go for it.

McGeechan's forwards coach, Jim Telfer also gave an extrordinary speech on this tour, aslo on Speakola.

Jim Telfer: 'From now on, gloves are off. It's bare knuckle f***in’ stuff', Lions tour, Forwards meeting - 1997

June 1997, British and Irish Lions tour, South Africa

Sadly, there is no full version of this speech left on YouTube, just the Gillette ad. It gives a feel, without the full majesty.

There are two types of rugby players boys.

There’s honest ones, and there’s the rest.

The honest player gets up in the morning and looks himself in the fucking mirror, and sets his standard. Sets his stall out, and says I’m going to get better. I’m going to get better. I’m going to get better.

He doesn’t complain about the food, or the beds, or the referees. Or all these sorts of things.

These are just peripheral things that weak players have always complained about. The dishonest player.

If I tell a player he’s too high, or he’s not tight enough, he’s too fucking high. He’s not tight enough. And that’s it. I’m the judge, and not the player.

And we accept that, and we do something about it.

I’ve coached Lions teams before, and we’ve complained and carped and this that and the next thing.

And I liken it a bit to the British and the Irish going abroad on holiday.

The first thing they look for is an English pub, the second thing they look is a pint of Guinness
and the third thing they look for is a fish and chip shop.
The only thing they accept is the sun. They don't take on anything that’s good or decent of different abroad.

If we do that we’re sunk!

We don't go back bitchin'. We don't go back carpin', Oh we've done it this way at Twickenham or Cardiff Arms parks or Lansdowne Road or Murrayfield!

No, no these days are past.

 What’s accepted over there is not accepted over here. It's not accepted by us -- me and you.
So from now on the page is turned. Were in a new book, different attitudes. We’re honest with ourselves.

And in many respects in the forward play, and let's be fuckin honest, we've been second best.
We can match them! But only if we get it right here (points to his head) and right here (points to his heart).

Two weeks. There’s battles all along the way. There’s a battle on Saturday. There’s a battle next Wednesday. There’s a battle the following Saturday. A battle the following Tuesday -- until were into the fuckin’ big arena. The one we’ll be there on Saturday. And by that time the fuckin’ Lions have to make them fuckin’ roar for us.

Because they'll be baying for blood. Let’s hope it's fucking springbok blood

We’re focussed. From now on, kid gloves are off. It's bare knuckle fuckin’ stuff. And only at the end of the day will the man that’s standing on his feet win the fuckin’ battle.

Related content: Ian McGeechan coach's address on same Lions tour, 'Be special for the rest of your lives', 1997.

"We’ve wounded a springbok.

When an animal is wounded it returns in frenzy.

It doesn’t think. It fights for its very existence.

The lion waits, and at the right point, it goes for the jugular.

And the life disappears."

Read and hear speech.

Jake 'The Snake' Roberts: 'A victim of your own greed, wallowing in the muck of avarice,' Wrestlemania VI - 1990

1 April, 1990, Skydome, Toronto, Canada

Jake "the Snake" Roberts' promo with Mean Gene Okerlund just prior to his match with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.

Well, well. The Million Dollar Man, Ted Dibiase. Here we are at Wrestlemania, and it's the biggest match of your career. Why? Because everything you stand for is on the line, mainly, the million dollar belt. Oh yeah, you see it can be yours once again. All you have to do is go through Damien, and Me. But you see, Damien and I don't forget, we remember all the times you made people grovel for your money. These were people far less fortunate than you, people who could use your money for essentials, and what did you do? You made fun of them. You humbled them and you humiliated them. Well, now it's my turn. I'm going to make you beg, Dibiase, you are going to get down on your hands and knees. This time, you'll be the one that's humbled. This time, you'll be the one that's humiliated, and this time, you will be the one that grovels for the money. And how appropriate, [laughs] that the money you grovel for is your very own. A victim of your own greed, wallowing in the muck of avarice.

Derrick Moore: 'I know your heart', pre-game Georgia Tech - 2007

4 October, 2007, Bobby Dodd Stadium, Georgia, USA

There’s nothing like family.  At the end of the day when the sun sets that’s all you have. Ultimately that’s all you need.

(It’s) about your brothers, bleed and sweat together.  Fought through summer.  All the lifting and running for moments like these because you don’t ever get them back.

Thank you guys for your heart and soul because that’s what you’re going to put into it tonight.  And you’re going to do it for the guy on your left and the guy to your right cause that’s all that matters.

Guy to your left.  Guy to your right.  You know what time it is.  It’s time to turn the Yellow Jackets loose.  We didn’t come hear to play around.  We came to take care of business.

We start with the abilities the coaches have passed down to you.  Let every man take his assignment seriously.  Let him go out with confidence.  Let him handle every moment.

Let him stand in the face of the challenger and don’t retreat.  Empower these men to do what they came here to do.  And we’ll sing in the end, ‘We’re gonna fight till we can’t fight no more.”