John Wooden
John Wooden
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
Prologue:
John Wooden is considered by many to be the greatest coach that has ever lived covering all sports and all levels of those sports. His Pyramid of Success on winning in sports is used in countless lockers rooms and clubhouses across the world. Known as the “Wizard of Westwood” he led UCLA to 10 national titles including 7 in a row. But it’s who he was as a person that truly stood out. His love for God and for people separated him from the pack and his legacy is remarkable beyond words. His words of wisdom on life will be carried on from generation to generation. John Wooden is a man who we need to closely study in order to grasp what love and faith in action is all about. Here is a brief look in his remarkable life and legacy.
His Story:
John Robert Wooden was born in town of Hall, Indiana on October 14, 1910 to Roxie Hugh and Joshua Hugh Wooden. His two sisters died before reaching the age of three; one dying in infancy and Cordelia died at the age of two from diphtheria. John had three brothers: Maurice, Daniel, and William. At the age of seven John and his family moved to a small farm in the town of Centerton, Indiana. Life was hard and difficult for the family has they had no running water or electricity along with little money. From this, John began to learn and develop the value of discipline and hard work. In 1924, went bankrupt and lost the farm thus moving to Martinsville a small town that took pride in their high school basketball teams.
As a boy growing up one of John’s biggest role models was Fuzzy Vandivier of the Franklin Wonder Five that was a dominant force in Indiana high school basketball from 1919 to 1922. From early on, John loved the game of basketball and showed a gift for the game through his childhood. In high school, he led his team to three consecutive state championship finals winning the tournament in 1927 and he was named an All-State selection three times.
After graduation from high school, he went to Purdue University and lead the Boilermakers to the 1932 National Championship, via vote instead of a NCAA tournament which didn’t begin until 1939. During his time at Purdue, John received many honors including being named to the All-Big Ten and All-American three times. He graduated with a degree in English in 1932.
Turning Point:
Wooden met his future wife, Nellie, at a carnival in 1926. She was the only girl he ever dated and she baptized him in 1927; introducing him to Christ. Here is how he recalls that life changing event:
“We were juniors in high school and she was the only girl I ever went with and we had a relationship and she suggested that we join at the same time. I don’t want to say that I accepted Christ at that particular time because of the fact that I did this primarily because she wanted me to. But my acceptance came gradually as time went by.”
They were married during John’s senior year in college at a small ceremony during August 1932. John and Nellie had a son, James Hugh Wooden, and a daughter, Nancy Anne shortly after their marriage. They were married for 53 years, until her death to cancer in 1985.
John read scripture daily throughout his life attending the First Christian Church of his childhood. He developed a stronger friendship with evangelist Billy Graham throughout the years. Here is how John would state how important his faith was to him:
“I have always tried to make it clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior.”
His Story Part 2:
Shortly after college, Wooden played several years professionally with the Indianapolis Kautskys, Whiting Ciesar All-Americans, and Hammond Ciesar All-Americans. He also taught and coached in high school at Dayton in Kentucky for two years. Then he coached basketball at South Bend Central in Indiana. During World War II, he joined the Navy for three years earning the rank of lieutenant.
After the war ended, John proceeded to coach at Indiana State Teacher’s College for 3 years. In 1947, his basketball team won the Indiana Intercollegiate Conference title. They were invited to the NAIB, a National Tournament, but Wooden refused because the policy in place to ban African American players. One of his players was Clarence Walker, an African American. The following year they won the conference title again and played in the NAIB when they dropped their policy on African Americans. They lost and this was the one and only championship game loss that a team coached by Wooden.
After the loss, Wooden left coaching high school to become the head coach of UCLA. In his first year coaching the team he turned around a 12-13 previous year into a PCC Southern Division Championship with a 22-7 record–the most wins ever for UCLA at that time. His team would go on to win the PCC Southern Division title the first four years he coached.
Once a probation was lifted because of the football program, Wooden’s UCLA team began a run of dominance never seen in the history of college basketball. After losing the semifinal of the 1962 NCAA Tournament, they put the final pieces together and won the school’s first national championship in 1964. They repeated as defending champs in 1965, before a slight step backwards in 1966, finishing second in the conference. From there Wooden would lead UCLA to 7 straight national championships from 1967-73 and 8 of 9 with a final championship in 1975 with a win over Kentucky.
Following the game, Wooden announced that he would retire from his legendary coaching career after winning a unprecedented 10 national championships. On top of these championships, Wooden won 620 games in 27 seasons, had a record winning streak of 88 games with UCLA, won 38 straight games in the NCAA Tournament, and a record 98 straight home game wins at Pauley Pavilion. He was named coach of the year 7 times and was named in the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first to be honored as a player and a coach.
During his time as a coach he never made more than $35,000 a year and never once asked for a raise. John even turned down an offer to coach the Los Angeles Lakers which would have paid him ten times what he was making as a coach for UCLA. In 1977, the John R. Wooden Award was created to honor the top college basketball player of the year.
Through the next few decades Wooden maintained good health and aged into his mid-nineties. Then he began suffering an i
ncreasing amount of physical ailments. He was hospitalized several times including breaking his wrist in a fall and catching pneumonia. Then on June 4, 2010 at the incredible age of 99 Wooden passed away peacefully of natural causes.
His Impact:
John Wooden’s legacy is goes far beyond the basketball court. His teachings, leadership example, and love for people have an profound impact on athletes and people of countless professions. On February 29 of every year at UCLA John Wooden Day is celebrated. He was named into the founding class of the NCCA Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. There are several schools and athletic centers named after him including the UCLA basketball court which was originally named the John & Nell Wooden Court but John insisted that it should be changed to Nell & John Wooden Court because his wife’s name should come first. Even a post office where his daughter lived was named in his honor. In 2009, the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership established the John Wooden Ethics in Leadership Award with Wooden being the inaugural recipient. Lastly, also in 2009, he was named the Sporting News “Greatest Coach of All Time.”
Lessons From His Legacy:
There is so much to be taken away from Wooden’s life that this written paragraph doesn’t do him justice. However, here are some of the main lessons we can take away from him. First, there is strength in gentleness. One of John’s greatest heroes of the faith was Abraham Lincoln. His favorite quote from him was “There’s nothing stronger than gentleness.” Wooden was known for controlling his temper through his coaching career despite the numerous situations that dedicated the exact opposite reaction. He was a man of quiet strength. Also he taught us to believe in our talents and abilities while remaining humble in reverence to the One who gave us what we possess. Another rare quality that Wooden showed us is what modesty looks like. Later in his life, past his teaching days, he remained at his condominium in San Fernando which he had shared with his wife from the early 1970s. He refused most gifts offered to him and resisted product endorsements countless times. He wrote this concerning the endorsements offered to him: “If I don’t feel comfortable doing it,” he has written, “then I’m not going to do it, regardless of how much money they want to pay me…I may not have their money, but I do have my peace of mind.” Finally, John displayed a simply incredible love for his wife that is so contrary to what our culture teaches us. After her death and 53 years of marriage, he began a monthly ritual to continue to remember her. On the 21st of every month he visited her grave and then wrote a love letter to her. After completing the letter, he placed it in an envelope, added it to a stack of similar letters that he had previously written to her, and put them on a pillow she slept on during their life together. What en example of what love between a man and a woman in marriage should look like! Simply put John Wooden’s legacy is one that will live on forever in not just sports but in the way he lived and loved others. He was a man who we need take a closer look at, emulate, and admire. His greatest aim wasn’t making the Basketball Hall of Fame, it was making God’s Hall of Faith. May be inspire to do the same!
Trivia:
- At Purdue, Mr. Wooden earned the nickname “the India Rubber Man’’ because he would bounce back up from the floor so fast.
- In 2003, Wooden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
- Wooden had four laws of learning: explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition
- During this time as coach he was dubbed as “St. John” because he never swore or drank alcohol
- John served as a physical education instructor in the United States Navy during World War II. Appendicitis kept him from shipping off for the South Pacific. A Japanese kamikaze plane struck the ship Wooden was to travel on, killing the officer who had taken his place.
- His daily prayer was: “Lord, make me beautiful inside.”
- Wooden liked to cite what he called his “Pyramid of Success,’’ a combination of 15 virtues- such as industriousness, loyalty, and self-control — he considered essential to winning in life and basketball. His Pyramid of Success is printed below.
John Wooden’s Seven Point Creed, given from His father:
- Be true to yourself.
- Make each day your masterpiece.
- Help others.
- Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible
- Make friendship a fine art.
- Build a shelter against a rainy day.
- Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
Quotes:
“Ability is a poor man’s wealth.”
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.“
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.“
“I’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.“
“It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.“
“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.“
“Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.“
“Never mistake activity for achievement.“
“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.“
“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.“
“There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer.“
“Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.“
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wooden
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/john-wooden/
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_wooden.html
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/woo0bio-1
http://religion.lohudblogs.com/2010/06/09/john-wooden-man-of-christian-faith/
http://jrwoodward.net/2010/06/remembering-john-woodens-by-imitating-his-faith/
http://www.mitchhorowitz.com/john-wooden.html
