"The fans are behind the coach 100 percent, win or…

“The fans are behind the coach 100 percent, win or tie” is a jocular statement that has been told about (and by) many coaches in college football, professional baseball and professional hockey. “In visits with alumni in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, I’ve found that they are behind me—win or tie!” was said by new University of Washington head football coach Darrell K. Royal (1924-2012) in April 1956. Royal’s line was printed in many newspapers and in Sports Illustrated.

Wikipedia: Darrel Royal
Darrell K Royal (July 6, 1924 – November 7, 2012) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University (1954–1955), the University of Washington (1956), and the University of Texas at Austin (1957–1976), compiling a career college football record of 184–60–5. In his 20 seasons at Texas, Royal’s teams won three national championships (1963, 1969, 1970), 11 Southwest Conference titles, and amassed a record of 167–47–5. He won more games than any other coach in Texas Longhorns football history. Royal also coached the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League for one season in 1953. Royal never had a losing season as a head coach for his entire career. He played football at the University of Oklahoma from 1946 to 1949. Royal was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1983. Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, where the Longhorns play their home games, was renamed in his honor in 1996.

17 April 1956, Oxnard (CA) Press Courier, pg. 11, col. 2:
New Husky Coach—
Royal Understands Case
By Hal Wood
SAN FRANCISCO (UP)—Darrell Royal, new head football coach at the University of Washington, said today that he understands the “situation” at the Husky school—perfectly.

“In visits with alumni in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle,” he said with tongue in cheek, “I’ve found that they are behind me—win or tie!”

Sports Illustrated
Google Books
May 28, 1956
Men From The Boys
Some gridiron dreams burgeon while others fade at spring practice—where coaches separate the men from the boys
Herman Hickman
Pg. 188:
New Coach Darrell Royal is attempting to rebuild strife-torn Washington with a get-tough policy, and apparently has a free hand. “Don’t Gripe—Transfer” is his platform. “People tell me,” he grins, “that they are behind me—win or tie.”

26 January 1958, Springfield (MA) Sunday Republican, “From the Crow’s Nest” by Walter Graham, pg. 3B, col. 2:
Coach Duffy Daugherty
Michigan State’s Duffy Daugherty illustrates alumni pressure on a football coach with the story of a telegram he received before the Illinois game which read: “Remember, coach, we’re all behind you—win or tie.”

19 August 1991, Chicago (IL) Tribune, “New York scrutiny remains a cut above‎” by Steve Nidetz, Sports, pg. 11:
“These fans are behind the Mets win or tie, I guess,” said Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone, implying better manners for fans at Wrigley Field.

Sports Illustrated
October 23, 1995
Paper Or Plastic?
Panic-stricken fans of the reeling Canadiens are in the bag after only four games
Michael Farber
(...)
Or as assistant coach Steve Shutt once put it so eloquently, “The fans are behind you, win or tie.”

Mountain West Conference Board
CUSA/Tall Grass
Posted 18 September 2006 - 07:18 AM
You ran away and hid from us when AFA wasn’t doing so good. Now, I see you are back in a your post below. I assume AFA’s very fine performance against Tennessee has brought you back. You remind me of Michigan State Coach Duffy Dougherty who said to the media….“MSU fans are behind me, win or tie!”

YouGabSports
Saturday shot takes
Posted by zamboni77 Sep 25th 2010
Category: NCAA
Tags: Notre Dame Brian Kelly Cleveland Indians Travis Hafner Cleveland Browns
* So, that was an awfully short honeymoon for Coach Kelly in South Bend, wasn’t it? As Lou Holtz said, Notre Dame fans are behind the coach “Win or Tie”, and they don’t allow ties anymore.

fyi
Retirement Planning: Win or Tie?
(This article appears to have been written in 2012.—ed.)
By John Fritsch, CFP
For sixteen years I made my living coaching football. The fans were always behind me 100 percent-“Win or Tie.”