When some think of basketball coaches they think of men who throw chairs and get in their players faces, and yell at referees and whoever else might be around. That is an image out there today. Let me tell you about one who did not do those things. All he did was WIN, and teach in the process. His name - John Wooden. Coach died Friday evening at the age of 99.
What did he do as a coach? John Wooden, coaching at UCLA, won ten NCAA championships over his twenty seven years there. He won SEVEN in a row from 1967-1973. His teams won 620 games with a streak of eighty-eight in a row. He had some great players like Bill Walton and Kareem Jabbar, but it was more than that. He demanded his players be in great shape so they could play an up-tempo style not known back then. It is all run and gun today.
What did he teach as a coach? I surely couldn't name it all here. He taught life lessons like how to put one's socks on correctly. He taught his players how to maintain poise and not be thrown off by outside events. He said: "What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player." . He was asked what he would like to hear God say when he arrived at the pearly gates. Wooden said: "Well done.". He was an humble and gracious man through all his accomplishments. He said that he tried to live by advice given him by his father; "Be true to yourself. Help others. Make each day your masterpiece. Make friendship a fine art. Drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible. Build a shelter against a rainy day. Give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day." One of his own statements was this: "Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow."
He was born on a farm in Indiana with no electricity or indoor plumbing. His favorite sport was....baseball! This was some kind of man. He was a great coach and an even greater teacher.
