The “Winningest” Coach in America

Coach Larry Gelwix secures another national championship, proving it’s not only about building championship teams, but championship boys

By: Leigh Dethman

PITTSBURGH, May 16, 2009 – Forget a three-peat, Salt Lake City-based rugby Coach Larry Gelwix (whose coaching philosophy is immortalized in the film Forever Strong, debuting on DVD May 26) led his team Highland Rugby to its 19^th national rugby championship title on Saturday.

Saturday’s national championship win brought Gelwix’s overall win/loss total in his 34 years of coaching to an unprecedented 392-9. That’s a 98 percent winning record, and marks Gelwix as the winningest coach in America. The coaching records of legendary coaches like the Tennessee Lady Vol’s Pat Summit (84 percent), UCLA’s John Wooden (81 percent), and the NFL’s Vince Lombardi (74 percent) still fall short to Gelwix.

Since the inception of a sanctioned High School National Tournament 25 years ago, Highland Rugby has won the national title 19 times, finished 2^nd five times and 3^rd only once. Salt Lake City’s Deseret News called Gelwix’s record “mind boggling.”

The team‘s championship legacy is immortalized in the new DVD, FOREVER STRONG, which releases May 26. The film showcases Gelwix’s formula for success—a strong ethical code to achieve victory on and off the field. The result? Championship teams and championship boys.

Following in the tradition of Rudy, Remember the Titans and We are Marshall, FOREVER STRONG offers sports action, drama and the results of following a strong ethical code to achieve victory on and off the field.

Coach Gelwix’s motto throughout his 34-year coaching career at Highland, “Be forever strong on the field, so you can be forever strong off the field,” has inspired countless teenage boys and serves as the driving force behind an unstoppable rugby powerhouse.

For more information, visit www.foreverstrongmovie.com

BYU NewsNet: ‘Forever Strong’ Coach Shares Secret to Success

Photo courtesy of Crane Movie Co.

Larry Gelwix, the coach of the Highland rugby team, talks to actor Sean Faris on the set of “Forever Strong.”

By Samantha Shirley
4 May 2009

Copyright ©2009 BYU NewsNet

One of the most successful high school rugby teams in the country and its coach were recently immortalized with a movie chronicling the team’s history, which will be released on DVD this month.

“Forever Strong” debuts May 26 on DVD, telling the story of Salt Lake’s Highland High rugby team and its coach, Larry Gelwix.

The team has won 18 national championships and had an incredible 387 wins and only 9 losses in 34 years.

The film may be about rugby, but Gelwix said he thinks it has been successful because it motivates people to be better.

“The movie seems to resonate with people,” Gelwix said. “What people tell me and I hear all the time is they walk out of the film wanting to be a better person, wanting to do better in their life, wanting to help people, wanting to be a person of integrity.”

Since the film’s theater premiere, Gelwix has received recognition for his hard work and success.

He said he often gets phone calls from people who saw the movie and want to talk to the real coach. One of these calls led to him being the keynote speaker at the BYU College of Nursing’s commencement in April and he also spoke at Women’s Conference last week.

Gelwix said the key to the success of the rugby team is coaching methods based on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“The secret is that we have coaching and life principles that not only work on a sports team, but they work in your family, in your personal life, in your work, in your school and in your activities because these coaching principles are all based on principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Gelwix said if his position with the rugby team was only about coaching he would have retired long ago, but he understands the influence he has on the members of his team.

“We’re trying to make these young men grow up with their feet on the ground, with their heads screwed on tight on their shoulders and hopefully avoid a lot of the junk of life,” he said.

Gelwix teaches the team members principles of honesty, service and dedication, which will help them to succeed throughout their lives.

“I want you to be forever strong on the field, so that you will be forever strong off the field,” Gelwix said he often tells his team members.

He also stresses the importance of hard work.

“We tell the boys there are only two types of pain in life — the pain of hard work and the pain of regret,” Gelwix said. “One is temporary; it can stretch you, it can be excruciating, but we’re grateful for it because it makes us a better person, while the other sometimes never goes away.”

He explained that he teaches his team various principles for success, including the importance of attitude and effort.

“I teach the boys all the time that attitude and effort are more important than natural smarts,” he said. “Attitude and effort are more important than natural ability … But if you want to change your attitude there’s only one way to do it — you change your behavior.”

“Forever Strong” and the Highland Rugby team have also prompted a Web site called missionarystrong.com.

“The Web site is to share and encourage missionary experiences,” Gelwix said. “Missionary work is an important part of the team.”

During team trips, many of the young men often choose to provide service, spend time teaching with LDS missionaries in the area and provide firesides, and Gelwix said people have been baptized across the world as a result of this work.

samshirley@byu.net

http://nn.byu.edu/print/story.cfm/72365

Copyright ©2009 BYU NewsNet