Customer Reviews

When the Game Stands Tall: The Story of the De La Salle Spartans and Football's Longest Winning Streak

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As the mother of three former high school football players who remains largely indifferent to the sport even now, I found myself surprisingly captivated by this story. Powerfully and tightly written, it early on evoked strong emotions and a growing fascination with Head Coach Ladouceur's methodology. As one of the team members said, "If you think Coach (Ladouceur) is inspiring on the football field, you ought to be in his Religion class."

The Coach is clearly unique among high school football coaches, This book is about a season of individual football games, the team players, the assistant coaches, and Coach Lad. I quickly grew to care deeply about every one of them.

As one of the boys chided a boasting parent, "Dad, it's not about winning." Indeed, it's not, not really at all, and that's what is so intriguing about this coach and this team. It's not even about football. Corny as it may sound, it's about love.

This is the most definitive Life skills primer for teachers, parents and young student-athletes. Neil Hayes came about as close as one can to capturing the essence of the mystery surrounding the great Bob Ladouceur teacher/coaching philosophy. This is an excellent read and should be must reading for all coaches. It is also a testiment to the boys who have become Men under the guidance of caring and knowledgeable coaches and mentors.

PS, student/athletes are not recruited - They want to paly with the best and choose to become Spartans.

Thank you Mr. Hayes for bringing this story to print.

Nearly 20 years ago, I went to my first De La Salle football game, and they won. In fact, they did not lose for several years to come, and even then it was on a controversial play at Oakland Coliseum when running back Rob Forrester ran in a touchdown, but was ruled out of bounds... Reviews showed, he was still in bounds and scored with the football just crossing inside the pylon. However, there was no 'instant replay' and alas, DLS had an incredible win streak come to an end.

I understand they started a new streak... and it was an impressive one in its own right. However, it too found its end.

The Spartans would start yet another streak, this one even longer. I sat in the bleachers when they played La Costa Canyon near San Diego this past year. It was my first Spartan game in nearly 15 years, the last one I witnessed, they lost. They weren't to lose this game down south. In fact, I know a kid who played for La Costa that night. This "kid" is 6'4" and about 240lbs - fit. I talked to him a few weeks prior to the game. He was already concerned. The look in his eyes said this game was already over before the opponents even got there.

Missing a few key players that night, DLS won. To La Costa's credit, they played with a lot of heart.

A few weeks later, ESPN showed a match pitting DLS vs. the perennial champs of Louisiana. Louisiana was without their past QB, John Booty and DLS would lose their QB early in the game, victim to the awful turf of Diablo Valley College. The Spartans rolled - not even a close match.

What the score didn't tell you was how the 200lb linemen of DLS were destroying the 300lb lineman opposing them. One of which was 6'7", well over 300lbs, and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

They ended the season as national champs, and that brings us to today, at the dawn of another season where they will travel yet again to battle the best America has to offer.

You may have already devised that, yes, I do indeed have ties to a small Catholic School in Concord, California. I have to say it pains me to read, as well as hear, the constant rants of "recruiting". I was there and admittedly, I thought I knew of a few instances where recruiting might have been possible... However, after looking into it, I found my own personal allegations to simply be false. Later in life, I realized the flat out implausibility of their recruiting: The kids are all local to the area, and still beat the best there is to offer, both Statewide and Nationally; Invariably, these kids are all undersized compared to their competition; For the amount of profound success DLS has at the High School level, there are but a few that go on to have success in college, and a precious few who go on to the NFL; and finally, I just have to laugh at the idea of 'scouting' out some kid that is running around his 7th grade blacktop playing 'tag' with his friends. It just isn?t plausible.

So the streak rolls and is currently at 151.
De La Salle will lose a game again some day, but quite frankly it will be a lifetime before they are beaten. If they lose a game, they'll just start another streak the next day. They always have, and I can only believe, they always will.

The reviewers bashing this book are invariably looking for an excuse to explain away this school's success. Their rants of "recruiting" are but a sophomoric attempt at belittling something that is both good and true as part of its fundamental nature. They will never know what makes this school so special. But those of us who have been blessed to be affiliated with this -Brotherhood- we all know.

There is no science that can explain why this team is a winner. It is a matter of faith.

Without Faith this team is nothing.

All that Coach Lad has to do is just - let it happen.

Internal Faith in each player, each student, each other... is what makes these kids true Champions. They are winners because of who they are and it is depicted each season in what they do.

It's not about football. It's not about wins. It is about hard work and love. Would this book be written if De La Salle football was a .500 team? No. Would the essence of the story be valuable if De La Salle Football was a .500 team. YES! I know the appeal of "When the Game Stands Tall" will be to find the answer to the question, "How do they do it?" The deeper truth you'll find is, "How do these coaches build men out of boys?", and "How do they build a team out of individuals?"

I can't believe how much of an idiot po_boygeo is. Plain jealous hater is how he was raised I guess. If you read the book you don't have to be a genius to realize that when you win from 50-151 games straight, the best come to you and you don't have to recruit. The book talkes about how coach Lad teaches the kids to set standards for themselves, respect there teamates like brothers and football will just fall into place under that. Those kids where taught to love the game and the game just loved them back. As father, football coach, and former player I can understand and respect that philosophy and would be honored to have my son become more of a man under coach Ladouceurs influence. THE BOOK IS POWERFUL!

I have read some poor reviews regarding the book. I could not disagree with them more. As an educator and a high school football coach I found the story about the DeLa Salle football program to be one that was well worth telling. For those that see the world from rose colored glasses maybe you should only read books that do not tell things how they really are. Anyone who did not like this book is obviously an individual who has not spent anytime in athletics or coaching athletes. So to those who who do not appreciate athletics I suggest you do not rate a book that you have no backgroud to judge. This book is a great choice for anyone who has ever been an athlete ot coached them. My compliments to the author and the DeLa Salle football team and staff. I thank you for sharing your experience with me.

Did you read the article today in the times about Cameron Colvin? Did he say anywhere that Lad or DLS people recruited him to the school? No. I thought it talked about how he wanted to go the the school. Read the book. Please, read the book and you will get a clue. Wake up...you can not begin to imagine the number of young men who want to go to DLS, football players or not, who can not be enrolled because there is no room. DLS DOES NOT have to recruit.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in high school football, or anyone interested in theories and applications of motivation. I'll admit I am very close to the subject: Mr. Hayes and I have been colleagues and friends for years; I met Bob Ladouceur at San Jose State; and my stepson-to-be is a De La Salle graduate. Mr. Hayes' book was nostaliac, entertaining and enlightening. There isn't a successful football team in the world where the teammates don't bond, but De La Salle is different than any other school I have covered in Central and East Contra Costa. The school's all-world standouts, such as Kevin Simon, D.J. Williams, Matt Gutierrez, Demetrius Williams, Maurice Drew, et. al., would have been stars at any school. The program was built, though, on players of average size and skill being motivated to accomplish above-average things. When another high school team gets 45 players committed to starting the next season's preparation three weeks after the season ends, to work like dogs during the summer, to run sprints before practice before the coaches show up, that team will beat De La Salle -- and they will have learned the same lessons.

As a former student of coach Lad (not player) let me just say that you have to see it to believe it. He is a quiet, intelligent, polite, and compelling individual. Something about him makes you want to do your absolute best and never let him down. That is what he brings out in his players. He is the best type pf leader, one who doesn't need to threaten nor coddle, rather his presence alone does the job. In addition he also happens to be an offensive genius on the field. In terms of the "recruiting" comments, I must agree with the previous writers by simply saying that DLS doen't recruit nor will they ever need to recruit in the distant future. The fact of the matter is since DLS played mostly public schools in their division, and these schools could only have students who lived in their district attend the school, wheras DLS could bring in students from Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Benicia, etc., in addition to Concord. While their talent pool may have been deeper, I would never go so far as to say that they recruited. All the HATERS are just jealous. This book really illustrates the respect Coach has from his players, his students, and the Bay Area athletic community, And I am happy to count myself among them. "St. Jean Baptist De La Salle - Pray for us!"

First, I would say to you and your condemnation of this book and its behind the scenes look at DLS: get out of the back corner of the library and push your taped up glasses back up your nose. This is what happens inside lockerrooms. It is not "demoralizing" as you say because at any moment in time, these kids, or any athlete, has the opportunity to get up and walk out. We as coaches could always give them cookies and kool-aid while we sing campfire songs at half-time, but then that wouldn't be helping to prepare that young man for the world that awaits him as adult, would it?

To the author and the entire DLS program, this book is what it is all about. As a young coach, when a player or anyone else asks me why I wanted to become a coach and why it means so much to me, I simply refer them to this book. It paints the picture of a man who has built a family of young men, focused not on wins, though they come, but on loving one another and being there for the guy beside them. He is the influence that those players will remember because they choose him as their leader and he responds with genuine concern for them as people, not football players. This causes the football success to happen. Great book. Great program.