Motivation Monday: Coach Taylor’s Best ‘Friday Night Lights’ Speeches
On October 3, 2006 — ten years ago today — NBC aired the pilot of Friday Night Lights. Despite consistent critical praise, two Emmys, seven nominations, and a Peabody, the beloved series lasted for two seasons before a move to DirecTV’s The 101 Network for the final three.
Through all five seasons, one thing remained constant — Coach Taylor’s inspiring locker room soliloquies. So, for your Motivation Monday, here are Coach Taylor’s Best Speeches…
#5. “I expect you boys to play football.”
Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”
“I expect you boys to go out there and not take this team lightly, because I promise you, they are going to come at you with everything they’ve got. I expect you boys to execute. I expect you boys to play football.”
#4. “That’s what character is.”
Season 5, Episode 3, “The Right Hand of the Father”
“Listen to me, I said you need to strive to be better than everybody else. I didn’t say you needed to be better than everyone else, but you gotta try. That’s what character is. It’s in the trying.”
#3. “We will be tested to our very souls.”
Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”
“We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts… that what we have is special. That it can be taken from us, and when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls. We will not all be tested. It is these times, it is this pain, that allows us to look inside ourselves.”
#2. “Champions don’t complain!”
Season 1, Episode 3, “Wind Sprints”
“If you think you’re champions because you wear the Panther uniform, you’re wrong! If you think you’re champions because they give you a free slice of pie at the diner, YOU’RE WRONG! Champions don’t complain! Champions don’t give up! Champions give 200%! You’re not a champion until you’ve earned it!”
#1. “This game is not over.”
Season 1, Episode 22, “State”
“When you take that field, those are the people I want in your minds. Those are the people I want in your hearts. Every man at some point is gonna lose a battle. He’s gonna fight and he’s gonna lose. But what makes him a man, is that in the midst of that battle he does not lose himself. This game is not over, this battle is not over. So let’s hear it one more time, together. Clear eyes, full hearts, CAN’T LOSE!”
Friday Night Lights is available to stream on Netflix.
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Tell us what you think! What’s your favorite Coach Taylor speech? Are there any that we missed? Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.
