Sean Hannity Praises the LDS Movie Forever Strong and Coach Larry Gelwix
The "Winningest" Coach in America
Coach Larry Gelwix secures another national championship, proving it's not only about building championship teams, but championship boys
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 19th 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.(FULL STORY)
CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE CREATED BY LIVING GOSPEL PRINCIPLES
Coach Larry Gelwix if often asked why the Highland Rugby players have such high values and expectations off the field.
“For two reasons,” Gelwix says. “Number one, it wins games and championships. And two, it produces championship boys.” (FULL STORY)
COACH LARRY GELWIX ON MAKING CHOICES
The Question to ask isn't "what you want to be" but rather "who do you want to be."
Coach Larry Gelwix, the assistant coaches, former players, and current players of the Highland Rugby program are all about making the right choices. Not just on the field but in life. This attitude is not just about a winning record (though 379 wins and just 9 losses, and 18 national championships are hard to ignore). It is about a winning life. (Full Story)
WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF HONOR AND INTEGRITY?
By: Coach Larry Gelwix
The essence of lie is not the words you choose, but the message you convey. (Full Story)
THE IMPORTANCE OF MORAL ETHICS
By: Coach Larry Gelwix
In life there is a right and a wrong. We can't not justify our moral ethical values.
Downloadable Discussion Guide
After viewing the film, you can use the following questions to initiate deeper discussions on themes and vital life lessons found in Forever Strong.
VIDEO: Elder Wirthlin Supported the Highland Rugby Team
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin was a proud supporter of the Highland Rugby team.
“He supported the Highland Rugby team because he could see and feel the principles that Larry was teaching and coaching to the team,” said Andrew Cannon, former Highland Rugby player and grandson to Elder Wirthlin. “Those were the principles of hard work, discipline, commitment and integrity.”
VIDEO: Making the Tough Choice to Serve A Mission
Choosing to serve a mission is a choice many young LDS men and women have to make.
Giving up to two years of your life to serve the Lord was not an easy decision for John Kimball, former Highland rugby player. He turned to Coach Larry Gelwix for advice. (FULL STORY)
VIDEO: The Gospel Principles Behind Highland Rubgy
The principles of the Highland Rugby team are gospel based. (FULL STORY)
Watch and learn what former players learned from Coach Larry Gelwix.
Q&A with Musician Jon Schmidt
How did you get started with the team?
Larry got to know us a little bit there at Highland, got to know the football players a little bit, and I was playing football, so he invited me out and I had some friends that were playing rugby that invited me out as well.
Can you tell us about an experience you had with the team?
The most amazing thing was in the first week, the first practice, my friend said, "Just so you know, Larry, on purpose tries to weed people out, so the first practice he tries to freak people out a little bit." (Full Story)
Q&A with Cafe Rio CEO Bob Nilsen About the Impact Coach Larry Gelwix had on him
Do you feel like Coach Gelwix helped get you on that path (to a mission) or were you already there?
I was on that path. I was always going to serve a mission. But without a doubt, the values that he taught us helped keep us on a straighter and narrower path, shall we say? I think there was more reinforcement of the same good things but from a voice that we wanted to listen to. (FULL STORY)
How does what coach taught relate to you in business?
At a leadership conference once I was asked who my most influential teacher had been in my life, and I said it was Larry. And when asked to explain why, I said he cared about us, he loved us, he took an interest in us — he also taught us principles, but the love came first, and the caring. Within just literally a handful of months, he had become my most influential teacher that I used on a totally unprompted basis many years later. (FULL STORY)
How I Learned Inspirational Leadership, Cafe Rio CEORunning one of Utah’s most popular restaurant chains (Café Rio) takes a great leader, and Highland Rugby was the perfect training ground to build one. (Full Story)
(Bob Nilsen, CEO of Cafe Rio and former Highland Rugby player, with his son Josh, a current Highland Rugby player)
How The BlueStreak Sports Training President, Mathew Cole, Is Still Applying Values He Learned as a Player
I am now am successful business owner, and I use the values I learned from Coach Gelwix in my company. He used to say, “Even though I am the coach, my job is not any more important then yours. We have different roles but our importance is equal.” (Full Story)
(Elder Matthew Cole with the famous Sydney, Australia Opera House behind)
