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10/31/2005 To Coaches O’Leary and Kellepourey, to the teams, the assistants, the families, friends and supporters, you have my respect… My respect is not conditional. You don’t need to win every District, every KVC Championship, or be perfect every time out, to win my respect. For the record, I thought the Novi football Wildcats would beat Milford, just like they did several Fridays ago during Homecoming week to clinch a playoff berth. For the record, I thought the Novi soccer Wildcats would beat Livonia Stevenson. After all, they hadn’t lost a game all year! For that matter, Coach O’Leary’s program had won 42 games without a loss in Calendar 2005 if you include both the girls and the boys. Neither happened. But, in the grand scheme it doesn’t change much. We’re still proud of our kids and all their accomplishments. You simply can’t equate winning as the only benchmark for success. I know legendary Coach Vince Lombardi once said, “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” But, he was quoted out of context. He meant that striving to win, giving your best effort, and committing to a work ethic and attitude to win were the most important things. For the record, Lombardi didn’t win all of his games either. But along the way he produced a group of men that not only had success on the gridiron, but success in life with people and business, and in endeavors that brought value to the lives of others. There is no shame given the weekend’s results, in fact Novi Nation should hold their heads high. Teddy Roosevelt said it best; “Far better it is to dare mighty things and achieve glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failure than it is to take rank with those poor spirits that neither enjoy much, nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory, nor defeat.” District Championships or not, the sacrifices you made, the hours you spent preparing, the energy you exerted wasn’t for nothing. You have our respect. Put that on the record. (c) 2005 Novi
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