DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — After 28 years of coaching, 28 years of teaching, and 28 years of marriage, it's no surprise this Dauphin County coach knows how to find the right words.
However, when Susquehanna Township football coach Joe Haeden first delivered a rousing speech to his players back in 2013, it's doubtful he expected it to be heard by millions ten years later.
"That's what the rope symbolizes, it keeps things together!" Haeden exclaims in his 2013 speech. "Rope is the sign of hope! You hold this team tight, you hold that rope tight! If somebody starts to slip off, you hold that rope until your fingers start to bleed!"
This Sunday, Haeden's "Hold the Rope" speech will be broadcasted just ahead of Super Bowl 57.
The speech was initially captured by Michael "Big Star" Starling of Raw Sports Films in the locker room. After three straight losses, Headen's speech helped inspire the team to victory.
"A lot of times, you find yourself coming from the heart, speaking your mind and saying what you feel to whomever it is," Haeden told FOX43 News.
Ten years later, he finds it humbling the speech continues to inspire.
"It means a lot, it really does. The speech still resonates with a lot of people, truly been blessed to motivate people," said Headen.
A part of the speech will be in the montage that the NFL Network will air at 1 p.m. on Saturday, at 9:20 a.m. on Sunday and one more time Headen will fire up the stadium on the jumbo tron just before the big game in Glendale, Arizona.
"That hold the rope came from a phrase and once I started the speech it just... honestly it came from my heart. I was just finding a way to motivate [the] young men," said Headen.
It may not be a Super Bowl ring, but it's just as cool.
"The joke is that I may not have been good enough to play in the Super Bowl, but my video is!" Headen laughed.