Setting Goals - Coach Yost

[This transcript is currently a work in progress.]

The following is a true story about a man named Fielding Yost. In 18 96, Yost was a junior standout tackle at West Virginia. Shortly after the season ended, Yost left school to accept the head coaching position at Ohio Wesleyan. Fielding Yost had four consecutive one year head coaching jobs, starting at Ohio, then Nebraska, Kansas, and Stanford. While at Stanford, the University board passed a rule that only alumni could coach at the school, and Yost was dismissed from the university. In 1901, Yost was hired at the University of Michigan. At this time, Michigan was not known for its football prowess as they traditionally lost the majority of their games. The first thing that Fielding Yost did after being hired as head coach was to hold a press conference. Behind him set his football team and in front of them stood the press. He got up and began to talk about the defense his team was going to have and said, This year, 49 points will be scored against us, collectively all season. The room was filled with laughs. As he went on to say, that's right. That means we will not lose a game. We will be going to the Rose Bowl, and we will be national champions. His players were squirming and wondering why he was embarrassing them and their school with such preposterous statements. Yos completed the press conference and turned to his players and told them to meet him in the locker room. Upon arriving at the locker room, the football team was irate that he would promise such things. Coach Yost walked in and without saying a word, wrote on the chalkboard the word LOVE. He then had each player lay their jersey and fall. He went on to say, if you don't have love for yourself for the team and for the game, you have no business wearing this jersey. That year, the University of Michigan surpassed the goals set by Yost. Instead of only having 49 points scored against them, they had zero. They went undefeated that year. Won the Rose Bowl against Yost former team Stanford University, and were selected national champions. Yo served as the head football coach for the University of Michigan from 1901 through 1923, and again in 1925 to 1926. He was highly successful at Michigan, winning 165 games, losing only 29 and tying ten for the winning percentage of 0.833. Under his leadership, Michigan won four straight national championships from 1901 to 1904 and two more in 1918 and 1923.

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