Date: 11/29/2025
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 AM
Location: The Fortress – Grace Church Perrysburg
Leadership Ruck – The Game
Pax: 2 Total
Meatloaf
Tarnished – Q
F3 Fitness, Fellowship, Faith
Mission: To plant, grow, and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.
5 Core Principles:
Free of charge
Open to all men
Always held outdoors
Led in a rotating fashion by men participating in the workout
Ends in a circle of trust
Credo/Disclaimer
Thang:
Today is "The Game". A football game defined by its players and coaches that has Ohio State v Michigan one of the bitterest rivalries in all of college football starting in 1897. Players have earned their Heisman trophies because of their performances in this game, like Desmond Howard and Troy Smith. Coaches have become legendary. Today we pull some leadership lessons from the rivalry, quotes of some of these great coaches, and see how they apply leading teams.
Discussion:
Lesson 1: Rivalry as a Catalyst for Continuous Improvement
Key Insight: “The Game” forces both teams to train, prepare, and innovate all year for one test.
Leadership Application:
• Healthy competition raises standards.
• Leaders must identify external challenges that sharpen internal focus.
Bo Schembechler – “Every day you either get better or you get worse; you never stay the same.”
Story:
Bo used this in the Ten Year War era to reinforce incremental improvement. He believed that standing still meant falling behind the competition—especially Ohio State. He’d stop practice and yell this line when players got complacent, reminding them that progress is a choice, not an accident.
Leadership Lesson:
High-performing organizations treat improvement as a daily habit, not an annual initiative.
Lesson 2: Culture Drives Performance (Woody vs. Bo)
Key Insight:
• Woody Hayes built a culture of toughness, discipline, and loyalty.
• Bo Schembechler’s mantra: “The Team, The Team, The Team.”
Both used culture as the core engine of performance.
Leadership Application:
• Leaders must define, reinforce, and protect culture.
• Culture must be lived in behavior, not posters.
Bo Schembechler – “The Team, The Team, The Team.”
Story:
Bo delivered this line in his famous 1983 speech to the Michigan football team, emphasizing that individual accomplishments mean nothing without collective effort. He told players that no one, including himself, was more important than the team. This principle created a culture where five-star recruits accepted role-player responsibilities, seniors mentored freshmen, and individual accolades were secondary. That ethos became the identity of Michigan football for decades.
Leadership Lesson:
When leaders build a culture where the mission outranks egos, teams become resilient, aligned, and selfless.
Jim Tressel – “A team is something you belong to—something you feel. It’s not just something you join.”
Story:
Tressel emphasized belonging by integrating traditions like the Gold Pants award for beating Michigan, Senior Tackle, and Friday night quiet reflections. He told incoming freshmen that wearing the Buckeye uniform came with shared history, expectations, and accountability.
Leadership Lesson:
People commit more deeply when they feel part of something meaningful, not transactional.
Lesson 3: Preparation & Process Are Everything
Key Insight:
Teams prepare specifically for this game all year: film study, schemes, situational drills, rivalry-week intensity.
Leadership Application:
• Breakthrough performance comes from long-term, intentional process-building.
Jim Tressel – “Don’t just look at the scoreboard. Pay attention to the process.”
Story:
In tight games, players said Tressel never talked about points—he talked about field position, execution, and discipline. During the 2002 season, when Ohio State won several close games, this approach prevented panic. They focused on the next play, not the outcome.
Leadership Lesson:
Focusing on the outcome creates stress. Focusing on the process creates performance.
Lesson 4: Resilience and Managing Setbacks
Key Insight:
Both teams have had eras of dominance and droughts. Leaders must rally teams through adversity, scrutiny, and high expectations.
Leadership Application:
• Resilience is built through clarity, belief, and consistent leadership during tough stretches.
Woody Hayes – “There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.”
Story:
After a tough loss to Michigan, Woody turned to his team and said this line in the locker room. Players expected anger—but instead got reflection.
Woody believed defeat forced leaders to confront weaknesses honestly, rebuild their systems, and recommit to fundamentals.
Leadership Lesson:
Failure, handled well, becomes a catalyst for reinvention—not shame.
Lesson 5: Identity and Purpose Create Commitment
Key Insight:
Players don’t just play a game; they carry an identity and tradition. Purpose becomes a performance multiplier.
Leadership Application:
• Teams need a purpose larger than daily tasks.
• Identity gives meaning to effort and sacrifice.
Jim Tressel – “It’s not just a game. It’s a responsibility.”
(On the Michigan Game)
Story:
At his introductory press conference in 2001, Tressel famously addressed the rivalry directly. He told fans they would be proud of their team “most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan,” referencing the upcoming game. He understood that beating Michigan wasn’t optional—it was cultural.
Leadership Lesson:
Leaders honor the traditions and expectations that define their organization.
COT
Count-O-Rama
Name-O-Rama
6: Tarnished
Announcements
LDP – SMSK16.2 Ruthless Elimination of Hurry – Silence and Solitude
Prayer
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