Chicago’s Finest Athletes on the Value of Training and Hard Work
America is a nation that genuinely treasures and looks up to a lot of great athletes, and many fans would indeed consider these sports stars as heroes. Here at Chicago we have had the pleasure of watching a number of legendary figures in sports – in basketball, baseball, football, and hockey, among other fields. What every sports fan must realize, however, is that behind every highlight, every championship, and every stat-filled career is an individual who recognizes the importance of fitness training, and of working hard every day with personal trainers to achieve a level of greatness that people will appreciate.
Let’s read below some of the insights on fitness and training that came from no other than Chicago’s finest athletes.
Mike Ditka: Mike Ditka won the prestigious NFL Super Bowl ring several times – as a player, assistant coach, and head coach of the Chicago Bears. Totaling 427 career receptions, 5,812 yards, and 43 touchdowns, Ditka was known as “Iron Mike”, one of the 100 best football players of all time, and a tight end who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.
Among some of Mike Ditka’s insights on fitness and training: “Here’s what I tell anybody and this is what I believe. The greatest gift we have is the gift of life. We understand that. That comes from our Creator. We’re given a body. Now you may not like it, but you can maximize that body the best it can be maximized.”
Also: “I really believe the only way to stay healthy is to eat properly, get your rest and exercise. If you don’t exercise and do the other two, I still don’t think it’s going to help you that much…. Some people are willing to pay the price and it’s the same with staying healthy or eating healthy. There’s some discipline involved. (And) some sacrifices.”
Scottie Pippen: Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls wasn’t just basketball’s greatest sidekick; he was also one of the most versatile small forwards to ever play the game. Teaming up with some guy named Michael Jordan, he won a total of six NBA championships while earning seven All-Star Game appearances, one All-Star Game MVP, and multiple All-Defensive Team honors. Pippen made his mark behind the scenes, too, and came to practice every day with his personal trainer in Chicago, and gave the same level of effort that you would see on a game night.
Here’s what he has to say: “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Dick Butkus: Personifying the hard-working side of Chicago, Dick Butkus left the NFL as perhaps the greatest linebacker of all time. He first starred as a football player for University of Illinois, then took his talents to provide extra muscle for the Chicago Bears. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dick Butkus played in eight Pro Bowls before a knee injury forced early retirement. But his legacy of toughness remains, exemplified by his own statement on the type of attitude it took for him to succeed: “I worked hard at becoming a professional football player, just like society says you should. It said you had to be fierce. I was fierce. Tough. I was tough.”
Stan Mikita: This Slovak-Canadian served as the face of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise for more than two decades – and owns records for most goals, assists, points, games played, and seasons. Talk about durability. Mikita also proved himself as a winner when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 1961. A two-time MVP, four-time league scoring champ, and six-time All-Star, Mikita remained humble about his individual achievements – without, of course, underestimating the value of hard work.
“Some athletes are so great they don’t have to practice,” he said. “Bobby Hull is one of them. He is so good everything comes natural to him. I have to work hard and practice hard. It’s not so simple.”
Walter Payton: Nicknamed “Sweetness”, Payton was the NFL’s all-time rushing leader from 1984 to 2002. He also won a championship as part of arguably the greatest team of all time, the 1985 Chicago Bears. As a player with a unique combination of power and finesse, Payton succeeded primarily because of the workouts with his Chicago personal trainer, and came into training camp in better shape than any of his teammates. He put himself through a lot of challenging workouts in the offseason, so that he missed only one game in 13 years. “I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field,” he said.
Michael Jordan: Perhaps the most famous and greatest athlete of all time, Michael Jordan dominated the game of basketball, and was so legendary that he transformed the sport and took the city of Chicago to greater heights. We won’t talk much about his individual achievements here – there are far too many – and we’ll focus instead at some of the things he said that provided an insight on how much he had trained throughout his career.
- “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”
- “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
- “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”
- “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
- “If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
