This world has now witnessed 99 years of excellence, thank you Coach John Wooden

Adam on 10 19, 2009

“Be quick but don’t hurry.” “Never mistake activity for achievement.” “The main ingredient in stardom is the rest of the team.” “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

Last week was John Wooden’s 99^th birthday. His birthday is a celebration of the best coach to ever walk the earth, although he would disagree with that characterization. Today we discuss a man whose accomplishments and character are so impressive, that his legacy is firmly entrenched even before he is gone. Most legends never see their names elevated to such heights, most are dead and gone before they become worthy of our collective worship.

It’s fitting in a way that Wooden is here to see his name elevated to the top of sports history (both ESPN and Sporting News have recently ranked him as the best coach in any sport ever) because he doesn’t care for such accolades. As Coach Wooden would say, “You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.”

An accolade that Wooden is likely more proud of than his ten NCAA championships (including 8 in a row) is the impact he made on his players’ lives, who revere him to this day.

Bill Walton was on ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning radio show on October 14th, 2009 raving about the impact Wooden had on his life. Walton made little mention of basketball throughout the discussion; rather he focused on what Wooden taught him about life. Walton recalled exact quotes from his beloved coach, and his voiced trembled as he spoke those words.

Andy Hill who played for Wooden from 1969-1972 said, “”It doesn’t matter how good the player was—it doesn’t matter if you were on the bench or first string—we were, we are and we always will be Coach’s boys. His players know the titles didn’t make Coach great. What the titles did was get all of you to notice how great he was.”

How many coaches today, or in the history of sports had a connection with there players that was so detached from the sport they were playing? Coaches constantly say they want to teach their players to be men, but how many can actually claim success?

John Wooden is everything that is right with the sports world. He’s everything that college coaches should aspire to be, though they seldom do. He’s class, character, humility, and decency in a sports world that so often lacks these traits.

We celebrate Bill Belichick as a great coach, but what of his character. His cold post-game handshakes, icy press conferences and his single minded obsession with football leave a lot to be desired from the man outside of the coach.

College coaches across the country are committing recruiting violations, promising young kids the world, and forgetting that their primary responisbility is to help these boys become men.

Wooden was a great man, teacher, husband, and friend who happened to be a great coach. This is the approach all coaches should take, yet those in the sports world (like the rest of us) tend to get caught up in our own triviality.

Whether on the court of off, we would all do well to emulate Coach Wooden. Be it his skill as a coach or his strength in character, Wooden is a man that stands above the rest.

Today, pay a tribute to Coach by living the way he taught us to.