Coaches knock down “cocky” players: How Lou Holtz nailed Jerome Bettis at Notre Dame, calling him a “cancer”



... master motivator vs. cocky player

Jerome Bettis was preparing for one of the greatest awards of his life three years ago. However, he could not forget one of the most humbling comments that a football coach ever made to him.

Bettis, preparing for his induction into the National Football League (Hall of Fame), had to remind himself was Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz said about him in 1991.

I interviewed Holtz in Ligonier earlier that summer, and while I asked him about how his team would do, I did not know much about Bettis at the time. Neither did anyone else. Bettis was an unproven player, though well known in his hometown of Detroit and throughout Michigan.

The master motivator, somewhat of a con man

Holtz was a master motivator, and he realized that he had to bring Bettis down a notch in order for him to work hard. According to ESPN, Holtz criticized him in a team meeting, “telling all the players and coaches that there was a cocky player on the roster who could become a team cancer.” Ouch. He had just told Bettis individually about how much potential he had to earn a starting spot and become a great back. Now this.

Bettis said in his long, rambling induction speech in Canton in Aug. 2015, “I was shocked. He was telling the whole team that there was a guy who was going to separate the locker room and who wasn’t ready to work hard and had a bad attitude. He didn’t say my name, but insinuated that it was me, and everyone knew it."

Bettis now ranks as the sixth leading rusher in NFL history with 13,662 yards, having compiled eight seasons with 1,000 yards or more. He also had 50, 100-yard games with the Steelers, earned a trip to the Pro Bowl six times and was twice a first-team All-Pro.

However, what Holtz was attempting to do was motivate Bettis, though as a young college player, he did not realize it. And it worked. “That fired me up, him saying that," Bettis said at his induction. "How could he call me out in front of all my teammates? I didn’t want them to look at me that way."

Bettis delivered

To make Holtz and his teammates and the Fighting Irish faithful believers, Bettis put together an outstanding season, rushing for 972 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also added 17 receptions for 190 yards and four more TDs, giving him 20 and a Notre Dame record at the time.

“The Bus” never forgot, however, how Holtz had conned him into pushing himself to the limit. “[Holtz] was such a big part of why I’m here," Bettis said. "I'm forever grateful to have a coach like that. It always stuck with me that you're not always as good as you think you are, so just keep working hard." Bettis finished his Notre Dame career with 1,912 yards on 337 carries (5.7 per carry)

Conclusion

The story is illustrative of how master motivators can help athletes reach their potential, even when the athletes may be a little too cocky. Holtz was a master at that, and that is why a 5-8, 155-pound guy became a top Div. I coach and head of one of the top programs in the country. And despite a distinct lisp, he was still able to be a great motivational speaker and an ESPN commentator for many years.

And “The Bus”? He never forgot how a humiliating experience propelled him to what became an NFL Hall of Fame career.

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