Skip to main content
Tags: dave belisle | speech | coach | little league | loss

Dave Belisle Speech: Coach Uplifts Little Leaguers After Hard Loss

By    |   Tuesday, 19 August 2014 06:53 PM EDT

Coach Dave Belisle's uplifting speech to his team after they were eliminated from the Little League World Series is going viral for all the right reasons.

Belisle told his Cumberland American of Rhode Island players that he was proud of their effort even though they eventually lost 8-7 against Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West team on Monday.

"Heads up high. Heads up high. I’ve gotta see your eyes, guys. There’s no disappointment in your effort — in the whole tournament, the whole season. It’s been an incredible journey," Belisle told his players. "We fought. Look at the score – 8-7, 12-10 in hits. We came to the last out. We didn’t quit. That’s us! Boys, that’s us!"

Vote Now: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance?

"It’s OK to cry, because we’re not going to play baseball together anymore,” Belisle went on to say to several of his players who were visibly upset after the loss. “But we’re going to be friends forever. Friends forever. Our Little League careers have ended on the most positive note that could ever be. OK? Ever be."

"There’s only going to be one team that’s going to walk out of here as World Series champions. Only one. We got down to the nitty-gritty. We’re one of the best teams in the world. Think about that for a second. In the world!"

Stephen Keener, president and CEO of Little League International, told ESPN during the broadcast that he believed Belisle was "one of the finest examples of a Little League coach I’ve ever seen."

“It’s pretty fitting that we went out with a fight,” Belisle said to the Providence Journal after Monday’s game. “We’re just as good as anybody in here on this field. We could have won all three games.”

“They definitely learned what the word pride is,” Belisle said about his players after losing to the Illinois state champions. “I got a lot of attention here for how I coach. It’s easy for me to coach like that when you have such wonderful kids that dedicate themselves, that respect you as much as I respect them. ... They gave me a summer of my life that I’ll never forget."

This year’s Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, has garnered worldwide attention as Mo’ne Davis, a 13-year-old girl, is pitching for the Philadelphia Taney Dragons. While she is one of 17 girls who have played in the tournament in nearly seven decades, Davis is the first girl to have won a Little League World Series game on Aug. 15 by shutting out Nashville by a score of 4-0.



Urgent: Assess Your Heart Attack Risk in Minutes. Click Here.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


TheWire
Coach Dave Belisle's uplifting speech to his team after they were eliminated from the Little League World Series is going viral for all the right reasons.
dave belisle, speech, coach, little league, loss
449
2014-53-19
Tuesday, 19 August 2014 06:53 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved