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From the Post Gazette

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The facts and the fiction in 'When the Game Stands Tall'

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A reporter separates fact, fiction and outright invention for &ldquo;When the Game Stands Tall&rdquo; about De La Salle High&rsquo;s football win streak.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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Behind the Scenes of When the Game Stands Tall

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Behind the Scenes of When the Game Stands Tall

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An exclusive look of one of the scenes on YouTube

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When The Game Stands Tall: Behind the Scenes 2 (Movie Broll) Alexander Ludwig

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The journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel), who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport.

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IMDb's review of the movie

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Directed by Thomas Carter. With Jim Caviezel, Alexander Ludwig, Michael Chiklis, Laura Dern. The journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur, who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport.

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The Night the Streak of De La Salle Ended

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The Night the Streak of De La Salle Ended

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How De La Salle's loss shocked the sports world

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The game had been over for an hour, and the 25,000 people who had witnessed the end of the longest winning streak in high school football history had emptied out of what was then Qwest Field in Seattle.

But the magnitude of what had happened to the De La Salle High football team on Sept. 4, 2004, didn't settle on Zac McNally - then a senior linebacker with the Spartans - until he returned to the hotel and turned on ESPN.

"The first thing we see are the highlights of the game, and it's on the ticker that De La Salle's streak is over," McNally said. "That's when it sunk in."

A decade after the 39-20 loss that ended De La Salle's 12-year, 151-game winning streak, the specifics of the game and the emotions the De La Salle team felt that historic night have not been forgotten, if only because it was the most points a Bob Ladouceur-coached team had ever allowed.

Bellevue High, a Washington state power, had pushed the Spartans around, dominating the line of scrimmage when it had the ball and running its Wing-T offense to near-perfection. The Wolverines had 30 points by halftime and a 19-point lead by the start of the fourth quarter. The end of "The Streak" wasn't coming on a last-second stunner. It had been coming from almost the beginning of the game.

Bellevue had an extraordinary running back in J.R. Hasty, the son of two-time NFL Pro-Bowler James Hasty. With Hasty and quarterback Eric Block - just 14 years old and making his first varsity start - Bellevue amassed 463 yards of offense, all on the ground. The Wolverines did not attempt a pass and were never forced to punt.

Bellevue had moved the start of its fitness program from June to January and gone through eight months of often grueling preparations that attempted to duplicate De La Salle's offseason regimen. Weightlifting sessions were doubled in length from 90 minutes to three hours. Players had private workouts on off days, feeling that De La Salle's players were probably doing the same.

"It was intense. Pretty much right after the season ended in 2003 we started training for De La Salle in 2004," Block said. "Tons of film work, practice work, in the weight room, getting big. The linemen were doing sleds every day. Running stairs. The workload was like nothing I had done before."

The game was the fifth and last of an all-day football jamboree called the Emerald City Kickoff Classic. Media coverage was intense; the Seattle Times devoted four pages of its Sept. 4 sports section to the event. More than 70 credentials for print and electronic media were issued.

Anticipation for the game reached a fever pitch by kickoff, when most of the lower bowl at Qwest Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, was full. The belief was that this Bellevue team - which had won three straight state championships - was the school's best yet. And the Spartans, with only quarterback Kevin Lopina headed to a Division I school on scholarship, were thought to be vulnerable.

"We did have a brotherhood, and there were a lot of close friends. We had that going for us. But talent-wise, we just weren't as good as we had been in the past," said Lopina, who played college football at Kansas State and Washington State and is now an assistant coach at Oak Ridge High in El Dorado Hills. "I think everyone kind of knew that, but no one really said it. So it was scary going into that game."

De La Salle began with the ball and, as it had so many times during "The Streak," scored on the opening drive on a 45-yard touchdown run by senior running back Eduardo Lopez, one of several Spartans who were making their first start.

"Athletically, that was probably one of the most exciting moments in my life," said Lopez, who went on to play for Cal's rugby team.

The excitement was short-lived. Bellevue got the ball, and on its first play from scrimmage, with a little misdirection, Hasty went untouched for a 75-yard touchdown.

Lopina: "I remember looking at Ladouceur - and I don't think he wanted me to hear this - but he said 'Well, that's deflating.' "

Hasty scored three touchdowns in the first half, and Bellevue went into the locker room with a 30-20 lead. De La Salle had moved the ball well but was offering little resistance defensively.

"The main thing was dealing with the physicality at the point of attack. They were physically overmatching us," McNally said. "Our defensive ends were lined up incorrectly for I think half the game.

"It wasn't the reason we lost. It just added to it."

Bellevue made some halftime adjustments on defense, and De La Salle's offense sputtered. The Wolverines got another touchdown from Hasty, his fourth, and had a 39-20 lead at the end of the third quarter.

With the Spartans going nowhere as the fourth quarter wore on, reality hit home. The transcendent program was about to lose for the first time since December 1991.

"I was looking up at the scoreboard - not giving up - but just realizing that, 'Wow, time is ticking away,' " McNally said. "Time's ticking down, and that this is probably going to happen."

Block took a knee to end the game, and Bellevue's players rushed to the center of the field to celebrate. The Spartans shook the hands of their opponents and walked to the locker room.

Inside, emotions bubbled to the surface. Equipment was thrown on the floor. Some players were crying. Others sat in stone silence.

But the message from Ladouceur was clear: Don't let one game define your season.

"He basically said this team won't be judged by losing the streak or by this one game," Lopez said. "We were going to be judged off how we react to being defeated, how we live on with the rest of our season."

It took De La Salle a while to regain its footing. The Spartans lost their home opener 30-12 to Clovis West, then settled for a 7-7 tie against Palma-Salinas. Victory didn't come until the fourth game of the season, a 49-0 win over Archbishop Mitty-San Jose.

De La Salle was 2-3-2 after a 17-17 tie against Clayton Valley when the Spartans' 2004 season, depicted in the new movie, "When the Game Stands Tall," finally began to come together. Playing as a unit and with a confidence lacking at the start of the season, the Spartans reeled off six straight wins to finish 8-3-2. The streak was punctuated by a 41-0 victory over Amador Valley in the North Coast Section 4A title game.

"I personally believe that if we had played Bellevue in week eight or nine, it would have been a much different game," Lopina said. "Unfortunately, it was week one."

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The game had been over for an hour, and the 25,000 people who had witnessed the end of the longest winning streak in high school football history had emptied out of what was then Qwest Field in Seattle. But the magnitude of what had happened to the De La Salle High football team on Sept.

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Bob Ladouceur | Book for Speaking, Events and Appearances

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Bob brings this understanding to his presentations as he clarifies to corporations of all sizes, including giants like Oracle and Sutter Health, how his formula draws parallels to success on the field with success in the office. Bob accomplishes this with cerebral, straight-forward strategies, so don't expect the typical high-fiving motivational speaker.

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40 Leadership Quotes and Lessons from "When the Game Stands Tall"

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40 Leadership Quotes and Lessons from "When the Game Stands Tall"

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These quotes inspired me to live my life to the fullest and should do the same for you as well.

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The new film When The Game Stands Tall is just a fantastic movie and a must-see event for every family. This movie chronicles the De La Salle Spartans high school football team and their head coach Bob Ladouceur, played by Jim Caviezel, following their first loss after a 151 game winning streak over 12 years.

Prior to giving you 23 leadership quotes from the movie, I want to provide you 17 leadership lessons you will take away from the film.

1. The Process Is More Important Than The Result Because Results Flow From Healthy Processes

2. The Best Coaches Are Life Coaches, Not Just Athletic Ones

3. Your Child Needs You To Be A Parent, Not A Coach Or Friend

4. Teams Who Are Unified And Care About Each Other Perform Better

5. Great Assistant Coaches Make Head Coaches Better

6. Teams Are More Important Than Individuals

7. A Healthy Perspective Is Needed To Have Humility And A Grateful Heart

8. Your Family Should Always Take Priority Over Your Career

9. One Year's Success Does Not Guarantee The Next Year's Success

10. It's Not How Hard You Fall. It's How You Get Back Up

11. Little Things Done Well Make A Big Difference

12. Great Mentors Provide A Picture Of What A Person Could Be

13. Complacency, Pride And Over-Confidence Are Dangerous Threats To Personal And Team Success

14. Every Team Member Has Something To Add And Plays A Critical Role

15. Success Smells A Lot Like Sweat

16. Failure Is Never Final

17. A Man's Success Is In Direct Proportion To His Wife's Confidence In Him

The following are 23 additional Leadership Quotes From When The Game Stands Tall.

1. "We're not asking you to be perfect on every play. What we're asking of you and what you should be asking of each other is to give a perfect effort from snap to whistle." - Coach Ladouceur

2. "Winning a lot games is doable. Teaching the kids there's more to life, that's hard." - Coach Ladouceur

3. "This program was founded on certain ideals - Perfection, Commitment, Compassion, Brotherhood, Faith."- Coach Ladouceur

4. "We were never just about winning. We were built on families." - Coach Ladouceur

5. "Life's most impressionable lessons are when something challenging happens and confronts you." - Coach Ladouceur

6. "The streak was never our goal." - Coach Ladouceur

7. "Love makes you can can't on me in good times and bad." - Coach Ladouceur

8. "Big goals stretch our abilities but are doable when given the effort." - Coach Ladouceur

9. "Give perfect effort from start to finish." - Coach Ladouceur

10. "Family isn't just blood relatives. It's anyone who love you unconditionally." - Coach Ladouceur

11. "I got caught up in the streak and it nearly killed me." - Coach Ladouceur

12. "Spend as much time with your family as you do the team." - Coach Ladouceur's wife Bev played by Laura Dern

13. "People ask me what it's like to never lose. Today I'm lost." - Coach Ladouceur

14. "Some people don't know who they are, all they have but something's missing." - Coach Ladouceur's wife Bev

15. "I want to help you when you grow up you can be counted on." - Coach Ladouceur

16. "We got lost, caught up in the hype, the glory and the relentless pressure. That's not who we are." - Coach Ladouceur

17. Commitment. Accountability. Perfect Effort. Love

18. "Don't let a game define who you are. Let your lives do that." - Assistant Coach Terry Eidson played by Michael Chiklis

19. "Collapse. Not die. It's just a high school football game." - Coach Ladouceur

20. "I don't want a kid on that field who isn't fit to play. I don't care if we lose the game." - Coach Ladouceur

21. "Our goal is to give the perfect effort on every play." - Coach Ladouceur

22. "My husband is turning your son into a man." - Coach Ladouceur's Bev

23. "It's not about the record. It's about the team." - former player Cam Colvin

Once again, this is just an amazing movie. Don't miss it. What were your thoughts on the movie?

To subscribe to this site and get my latest FREE eBook 999 Leadership Quotes On Leadership: Wise Words And Timeless Truths From The 2014 ARC, Passion, Orange, and Leadercast Conferences (and others) click here or on the image to the left.

About Brian Dodd

Brian Dodd is the author and content coordinator for Brian Dodd On Leadership. In addition to overseeing this site's content, Brian is Director of New Ministry Partnerships for INJOY Stewardship Solutions where he helps churches develop cultures of generosity. Brian has also authored the critically-acclaimed book The 10 Indispensable Practices Of The 2-Minute Leader.

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40 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From When The Game Stands Tall

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The new film When The Game Stands Tall is just a fantastic movie and a must-see event for every family. This movie chronicles the De La Salle Spartans high school football team and their head coach Bob Ladouceur, played by Jim Caviezel, following their first loss after a 151 game winning streak over 12 years.

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An inside look on De La Salle Football Athletic Program.

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"When the Game Stands Tall" Movie Review

One of my favorite movies I have seen recently is called "When the Game Stands Tall". Based off a true story, it is a sports drama film that involves the one hundred fifty-one game winning streak of the De La Salle High School Spartans, which was a record setting performance from the year 1992 to 2003 located in Concord, California. Despite the average reviews from other websites, I thought personally that this movie stood out to have an amazing storyline and I thought that it was the best sports film I have ever seen.

The movie begins with Bob Ladoucer, the coach of the De La Salle Spartans, watching his team win the championship of their undefeated 2003 season. Following their tradition, the seniors share their stories of what their team means to them. The juniors, including Ladoucer's son Danny, celebrate with team captain Chris Ryan who has the chance of breaking the California state record for the highest career of rushing touchdowns. During an argument whether to accept a coaching job at the college level, Ladoucer's wife Beverly tells him that he does not spend enough time with his family. A division meeting between coaches arranges to have De La Salle play against Long Beach Polytechnic High School, a team with a similar reputation.

Ladoucer engages the team members in a passage of the Gospel of Luke which states that all good deeds will be rewarded. This provokes a mixed reaction from players who come from disadvantaged households. Reminded of team alumnus Cameron Colvin, Ladoucer pays him a visit in Richmond, California and discovers that his mother is dying. Upon returning home, Ladoucer suffers a heart attack, impacting his own ability to coach in the 2004-2005 season. Later that day, Colvin is approached by his best friend Terrance Kelly who urges him to enroll at the University of Oregon so that they can play together. Not wanting to involve friends in the downward spiral he had found himself in, Colvin protests but eventually agrees. Days later, Kelly is shot and killed while trying to pick up a friend and the Spartan team attends his funeral.

De La Salle's 151 winning streak comes to an end when the Spartans lose a game against Bellevue, Washington. After the game, Chris Ryan's father Mickey hits Chris and threatens further abuse if he does not break the touchdown record. Coach Ladoucer takes the team to a veteran's rehab center, to deconstruct their respective ideas of brotherhood. To prepare for the game against Long Beach, the teammates watch videos of previous games and see that all of the Poly players are faster and more physically imposing. The grueling game becomes a victory for De La Salle after Danny knocks down a pass by Poly in the endzone to help the Spartans hold Poly on all four attempts at the goal line. The Spartans enter the final 2005 game with a renewed sense of confidence and hope that Ryan can make three touchdowns to break the school record.

A number of touchdowns during the game, including two by Chris place De La Salle in a comfortable lead. Mickey cheers that there is enough time left for him to break the state record. When setting up their final play, Ryan gathers his teammates and tells them that it would be wrong for him to end his time with a team by chasing a personal victory. He instead gives up the ball and raises his helmet to Ladoucer. As the audience members do the same, the game and movie ends with a tribute to the coach that brought them there.

To conclude this review, this movie doesn't just teach us about the De La Salle Spartans 151 game winning streak, but it teaches us what the true meaning of sacrifice, commitment, and teamwork is whether it is on or off the football field stated in my padlet background. Sometimes we must make these sacrifices for the greater good whether we like it or not as a person or as a team. Our commitment decides our outcomes good or bad and that teamwork can be a key role to succeeding with the support from your peers around you.