Leadership is a quality that aspiring and current coaches strive to develop. Sadly, there are too few programs that assist in the preparation of coaches. One avenue for learning is to seek advice and guidance from coaches of the past. The purpose of this article is to provide leadership tips from some of the elite coaches in history, such as legends James Naismith, Knute Rockne, Vince Lombardi, John Wooden, and Bill Walsh. Today's coaches are encouraged to read these leadership tips and truly listen to the words of these legends: (1) Develop and maintain a proper perspective on the purpose of the game: education through the physical; (2) Develop and maintain strong relationships with all of your players. Make each player feel that he/she is important to the team! (3) Develop and maintain a strict commitment to excellence. Always strive for perfection; (4) Develop and maintain strong character in your players. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation; and (5) Develop and maintain a strong personal and professional philosophy. Then, live it! Also presented are seven simple steps coaches can follow to incorporate the leadership tips from these legends to develop their own "principles of excellence" philosophy statement.