If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
Winning is not everything - but making the effort to win was... If you can't accept losing, you can't win.
There is no substitute for work.
To me, the big thing in being a successful team is repetition of what you're doing, either by word of mouth, blackboard, or specifically by work on the field. You repeat, repeat, repeat as a unit.
Having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it.
We don't pray to win. We pray to play the best we can, and to keep us free from injury. And the prayer we say after the game is one of thanksgiving.