With the Super Bowl one week away, this is a good time to look back at what is necessary to build a championship organization. In the January 14th edition of Sports Illustrated, the Alabama Crimson Tide were profiled after their resounding 42-14 blowout victory over Notre Dame.
The following are 13 qualities learned from the article that are needed to construct a championship team. As each quality is discussed, see if your church, team, or organization possesses these same characteristics.
- Championship Teams Have Special Character – Head Coach Nick Saban gives us incredible insight into what is necessary to compete at the highest level. He says, “To repeat, it takes a special will because you’re always fighting against yourself. It’s human nature to be satisfied with what you did last year. It takes a special group, with special character, to overcome that. And this team did.”
- Championship Teams Are Respected By Their Peers – Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick was forced to admit, “They’re just better than us. They’re better than everybody.”
- Championship Teams Are Creative – Star lineman Barrett Jones said, “Notre Dame is simple on defense. They’re good because they (keep it) simple. But they’re simple.”
- Championship Teams Pay Great Attention To Detail – Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said of Coach Saban, “The thing with Nick is that he’s going to be on the cutting edge of technique in terms of all aspects of football, right down to the line, fundamental details of playing particular positions, and all the way up to running a program. Little things make the difference. Nick takes care of those little things better than anybody else.”
- Championship Teams Are Disciplined – “He (Bear Bryant) was a very good fundamental coach. But what he really did well was create intangibles like toughness and discipline and giving great effort and executing your job…What you have to admire most about Coach Bryant is that he could do it for such a long time at such a high level. Because people think there is a continuum of success. There is no continuum of success. It starts over with every team.” – Saban
- Championship Teams Are Never Satisfied – The greatest enemy of future success is past success. Coach Saban gives one of the great leadership quotes when he says, “History can’t help us win the next game.”
- Championship Teams Have A Defined Process – Coach Saban has become famous for his commitment to “the process” he has installed at Alabama. He tells his assistant coaches, “Get your work done by 10, get to sleep by 11 and then you can get up at six. But you have to get your work done by 10. That’s why we put the whole process in place.”
- Championship Teams Have Experience – Alabama has created a culture of respect for those who have come before them. Star quarterback A. J. McCarron said, “I wanted it (the championship) for them. And I wanted it for our group of seniors.”
- Championship Teams Deeply Value Preparation – Jones acknowledged, “The times around here when we’ve lost games, it’s always been after a lousy week of practice.”
- Championship Teams Leave A Legacy – After the mid-season loss to Texas A&M, Saban told his team, “The legacy of this team will be determined in the future. We need to move ahead.”
- Championship Teams Focus On The Right Things – All-American lineman Chance Warmack said, “We took care of what we could control.”
- Championship Teams Have Many Leaders – This is probably my greatest learning from the article. In addition to Coach Saban, McCarron, Jones, and Wamack, senior linebacker Nico Johnson told the team prior to the SEC Championship game against Georgia, “Don’t get overwhelmed by the opportunity. It’s a big game, but it’s just another game. Have fun. Dominate your opponent. Play 60 minutes.”
- Championship Teams Are Always Thinking Ahead – At 1:00 AM shortly after winning the national championship a couple of hours earlier, Saban said, “We’ve got guys who need to make decisions about next year (and the NFL). I want to be ready for them by Thursday. You’ve got to be thinking ahead.”
NFL Network analyst Heath Evans said of Saban, “I think he’s probably the greatest college football coach in history.” He has certainly created a dynasty at Alabama. Jones, winner of three national championship agrees. He says, “Three out of four. I’m no dynasty expert, but that seems like a dynasty to me.”
In the locker room after the game, Coach Saban triumphantly looked at his team and said, “You dominated.” There appears to be no end to this dominance. Saban put any rumors to rest when he said, “I don’t have unfinished business in the NFL. It’s not even something I want to do.”
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