Neil Hayes - When the Game Stands Tall: The Story of the De La Salle Spartans and Footballs Longest Winning Streak

Copyright 2003, 2005 by Neil Hayes. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other wisewithout written permission of the publisher. For information contact Frog, Ltd. c/o North Atlantic Books.

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Cover and interior photos by Bob Larson; published with the kind permission of the Contra Costa Times
Cover design by Maxine Ressler

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hayes, Neil, 1967
When the game stands tall : the story of the De La Salle Spartans and footballs longest winning streak / by Neil Hayes; foreword by Tony La Russa; preface by John Madden; photographs by Bob Larsen.Rev. ed.
p.cm.
eISBN: 978-1-58394-640-4
1. De La Salle High School (Concord, Calif.)Football. 2. FootballCaliforniaConcordHistory. I. Title.
GV 958. D 4 H 39 2005
796.3320979463 DC 22

2005015726

v3.1

For Charlee, Nick, and Riley

and in memory of T.K., the gentle giant, who will forever
be an inspiration to us all

During spring training in Arizona several years ago, George Will told the Oakland As that Americans were fascinated by excellence, not only as a product but as a process.

How do you achieve it? And once you do, how do you sustain it?

Excellence exists in all facets of life, but its the examples in business and sports that receive the most attention. We look at Howard Schultz and Starbucks, Bill Gates at Microsoft, Bill Russell of the Celtics, Michael Jordan of the Bulls, Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong, to name a few. We see their seemingly magical results and cant help but wonder what their edge is and what makes them so special.

Theres another ongoing example of excellence that has earned a place alongside the ones I just mentioned. Its not as well known as Michael Jordan or Bill Gates, but its just as phenomenal: De La Salle High School, competing at the highest levels in the ultra-competitive state of California, won 151 consecutive football games between 1992 and 2004.

Can you imagine going undefeated for twelve seasons while purposely seeking out the toughest competition?

As De La Salle approached the national record for consecutive wins, the program and its coach drew more and more attention. De La Salle broke Hudson (Michigan) High Schools record of 72 consecutive wins in 1997, but with that the pressure only intensified. Subsequent wins over Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly, and St. Louis of Honolulu and Evangel Christian of Shreveport, Louisiana, exemplify how De La Salle continued to challenge and redefine acknowledged excellence.

As each victory extended the record-winning streak, the schools football program became a lightning rod for the controversy that inevitably attaches itself to success. Too often when analyzing excellence and success there is a search for the quick, easy answer or handy label. Its routine now to question success by searching for improprieties, but in De La Salles case doing so only obscures the reality and distorts perceptions. If our interest in excellence is legitimate, then what we needand what De La Salle deservesis a complete understanding of their unique formula for success.

By pure coincidence I live in the same county in Northern California where De La Salle is located. That is why I can personally attest to some aspects of what makes the program unique and special, the reality versus the perception. I have had the opportunity to come into contact with various members of the De La Salle program. I have heard them speak, and I have read what they have written, in particular head coach Bob Ladouceur.

What I have learned is so much more important than what I first perceived. Initially, I thought the lessons about De La Salle were only about winning in a team sport. Those are valuable enough. But now I understand that the core of the programs success extends well beyond sports. It is a remarkable blueprint that can be applied not only in business but also with family and friends.

During my forty years in baseball I have been fortunate to meet some of the coaching greats who have come to define excellence. With no disrespect to these fine managers and coaches, Bob Ladouceur is one of the finest coaches I have ever met. As I have gotten to know him on a personal basis, I also believe he is one of the finest people I have ever met. What I have learned from him I have used in my personal life and on the job with the St. Louis Cardinals.

You may wonder what someone who has been a major-league manager for twenty-seven years can learn from a high school football coach. Plenty. We can all learn from this man, this school, and these kids. We can learn about excellence in the athletic arena, and we can learn how to become better people. Because that is ultimately what Ladouceur teaches.

I dont know if a baseball team has ever gone through what the Cardinals went through in 2002. We had one of the greatest teammates anybody could ever have. Darryl Kile was our ace pitcher, our leader, and friend to everybody. He was one of the neatest people you could ever hope to be around. When he died of a heart attack, our team was emotionally devastated by the loss. We were in contention, but baseball no longer seemed important. For two weeks I wasnt sure what to do or how to handle this.

Then I got a letter from my friend Bob Ladouceur, who has been through similar situations. He sent me the eulogy he had delivered when one of his former players died unexpectedly. When I read parts of that eulogy of Bobs to our team, it helped us begin the process of putting our professional lives back in order. We went on to win our division. And Bob Ladouceur played a role in that. Thats the power of Coach Lad, the power of De La Salle.

Ill give you another example. A couple of years ago I was concerned that I was not helping our team to be all that was within our ability. That winter I had lunch with Bob a few times and really started prying into his philosophies. I read this book and realized how much commitment it takes to play at De La Salle.

I went to spring training determined to incorporate some of the fundamentals that makes De La Salle great. Based on De La Salles example, we dotted our is and crossed our ts. Based on Bobs model, we empowered the players to be more accountable, to take more responsibility for the team, and to police themselves.