Hoosiers Quotes

Coach Norman Dale I would hope you would support who we are. Not, who we are not. These six individuals have made a choice to work, a choice to sacrifice, to put themselves on the line 23 nights for the next 4 months, to represent you, this high school. That kind of commitment and effort deserves and demands your respect. This is your team.

Coach Dale First of all, let's be real friendly here, okay? My name is Norm. Secondly, your coaching days are over.

George Look, mister, there's... two kinds of dumb, uh... guy that gets naked and runs out in the snow and barks at the moon, and, uh, guy who does the same thing in my living room. First one don't matter, the second one you're kinda forced to deal with.

Coach Dale Translate. That some sort of threat?

George I don't know why Cletus drug your tired old bones in here, he musta owed you somethin fierce. Fact is, mister, you start screwin up this team, I'll personally hide-strap your ass to a pine rail and send you up the Monon Line!

Coach Dale Leave the ball, will you, George? OK, let's see what kind of hand I've been dealt.

Coach Norman Dale Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team - no one more important than the other.

Everett Flatch You think number four is gonna take their last shot, Dad?

Wilbur Shooter Flatch Yeah, probably... they been pickin low all night. Rade, let yourself get taken out! Uh, Buddy, you drop down and take his place! Close that lane!

Wilbur Shooter Flatch Time! Time! C'mon in, c'mon in. Alright, now listen to me. This is the last shot that we got! Alright? We're gonna run the picket fence at em! Merle, you're the swingman, Jimmy, you're solo right! Everett, Merle should be open swinging around the the end of that fence! Now, boys, don't get caught watchin the paint dry!

Opal Fleener Sun don't shine on the same dog's ass every day, but, mister you ain't seen a ray of light since you got here.

Coach Dale Strap? How long is he going to go on like this?

Rade Butcher I don't know. He'll come when he's ready, not before.

Coach Dale Hopefully that'll be sometime before tip-off.

Coach Norman Dale Stick with your man. Think of him as chewing gum. By the end of the game, I want you to know what flavor he is.

Coach Dale You know, if everyone is as nice as you, country hospitality is gonna get an awful name.

Myra Fleener What a pleasant thing to say.

Rollin What can I do for you, Jimmy?

Jimmy Chitwood I got something to say.

Rollin All right, you better say what you've got to say.

Jimmy Chitwood I don't know if it'll make any change, but I figured it's time for me to start playing ball.

George I told you, once we got rid of him!

Jimmy Chitwood But, there's just one thing... I play, Coach stays. He goes, I go.

George Uhhh, the coach is ... dismissed by a vote of 68 to 45...

Opal Fleener I think we should vote again!

Rollin All those in favor of the coach staying, say Aye all opposed... ...Coach stays!

Coach Norman Dale You know, in the ten years that I coached, I never met anybody who wanted to win as badly as I did. I'd do anything I had to do to increase my advantage. Anybody who tried to block the pursuit of that advantage, I'd just push em out of the way. Didn't matter who they were, or what they were doing. But that was then. You have special talent, a gift. Not the school's, not the townspeople, not the team's, not Myra Fleener's, not mine. It's yours, to do with what you choose. Because that's what I believe, I can tell you this: I don't care if you play on the team or not.

Myra Fleener You know, a basketball hero around here is treated like a god, er, uh, how can he ever find out what he can really do? I don't want this to be the high point of his life. I've seen them, the real sad ones. They sit around the rest of their lives talking about the glory days when they were seventeen years old.

Coach Dale You know, most people would kill... to be treated like a god, just for a few moments.

Coach Norman Dale There's a, uhm, tradition in tournament play to not talk about the next step until you've climbed the one in front of you. I'm sure going to the State finals is beyond your wildest dreams, so let's just keep it right there. Forget about the crowds, the size of the school, their fancy uniforms, and remember what got you here. Focus on the fundamentals that we've gone over time and time again. And most important, don't get caught up thinking about winning or losing this game. If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game. In my book, we're gonna be winners! OK?!

Coach Dale Where are you going? Sit down.

Rade Butcher You gotta have five out there!

Coach Dale Sit... down.

Referee You need one more, coach.

Coach Dale My team is on the floor.

Myra Fleener Leave him alone, all right? He's a real special kid and, and I have high hopes for him and... I think if he works really hard, he can get an academic scholarship to Wabash College and can get out of this place.

Coach Dale Why, do you have something against this place?

Myra Fleener A man your age comes to a place like this, either he's running away from something or he has nowhere else to go.

Coach Dale What I'm doing here has nothing to do with you.

Myra Fleener Just stay away from Jimmy. I don't want him coaching in Hickory when he's fifty.