Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Honoring Coach Wooden

Earlier I wrote about amazing athletes who have come out of the Pac-10. While John Wooden was not an athlete in the Pac-10, he was still a tremendous figure who deserves to be mentioned in the same category as the previous individuals.

Wooden served as coach of the UCLA basketball team for more than a quarter century. Through his record of success and words of inspiration, Wooden epitomizes what it means to be a true leader.

Wooden coached UCLA basketball from 1948,49 season to the 1975,76 season. During a twelve year span from 1963-1975 Wooden coached UCLA to an unprecedented ten NCAA championships. His overall coaching record for UCLA was 620-147 with a winning percentage of 81 percent.

But it’s not necessarily his success as a coach that makes him a well-known figure but how he went about coaching.

Wooden coined his “pyramid of success” that was based upon qualities every athlete must have to reach the pinnacle of the pyramid which was competitive greatness. His “pyramid of success” can also be translated into realms outside of basketball such as the work world or significant relationships.

Some of Wooden’s greatest sayings on the “pyramid of success” include:

Cooperation: Have utmost concern for what’s right rather than who’s right. Cooperate with all levels of your co-works. Help others and see the other side”

Initiative: Make a decision! Failure to act is often the biggest failure of all. Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Desire to excel.”

Condition: Ability may get you to the top but character keeps you there- mental, moral, and physical.”

Poise: By yourself. Don’t be thrown off by events, whether good or bad. Be at ease in any situation. Don’t fight yourself.”

Competitive Edge: When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Be at your best when your best is needed. Your best is needed each day. Real love is a hard battle.”

Through this model, Wooden developed some of the best basketball players such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bill Walton.

On the Pac-10 web site, WSU men’s basketball coach Ken Bone recalls meeting Coach Wooden at his apartment.

“Just to be able to sit down with him and how humble he was, was incredible,” said Boone. “For everything he accomplished it felt like I was in the basketball hall of fame with all the memorabilia around his place and he was no different than anyone you’d meet on the street. Just a great man.”

Wooden lived to be 99. He died last year on June 1. In honoring his life we can live by his words so that we too can carry on the same successes.

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