Retired Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
Coach K Gives Rousing Speech to Duke Football Team
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Mike Krzyzewski retired as Duke basketball head coach in April, but he's still in Durham as an ambassador to the school. So this past week, new Duke football head coach Mike Elko wisely called on the legend to impart a few words of wisdom on a program that won only one ACC game across David Cutcliffe's final two seasons at the helm.
Coach K didn't disappoint.
According to tweets from some of those in attendance, the 75-year-old spoke for roughly 30 minutes, seemingly trying to get the gridiron Blue Devils to run through a brick wall.
On Saturday, Duke football's official Twitter account released snippets of the five-time national champion's life-lessons pep talk at the podium:
Three winning messages from Coach K to the Duke football players:
1. "You're not preparing just to become a winning team. Coach Elko and I have talked about this...He's not here to produce a winning team; he's here to produce a winning program. A winning program will produce winning teams. And in order to have a winning program, you have to have a winning culture."
2. "You're not playing for Duke. You are Duke football. And what the hell does that mean? What the hell does it mean that you are Duke football? Every once in a while, in your quiet moments, put your damn thing out there and imagine, Damn, I am Duke football. I'm not just playing. I'm not the linebacker. I'm not the running back. I'm Duke football."
3. "You have to own it. It's tough to beat somebody that owns something."
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Mike Elko and his eager Blue Devils kick off their 2022 campaign on Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. when they host the Temple Owls. And the above video suggests Mike Krzyzewski should be watching, perhaps even cheering in attendance at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke football news.
