A Tribute to Basketball Coach John Wooden, 1910-2010
This just in from copywriter John Fancher:
Hey Perry,
I know you’re not a big sports fan…and probably not many of your readers are either…but one of the true giants of sports – and truly great human being – past away yesterday. John Wooden was the coach of the UCLA basketball team at time when they won TEN NCAA championships, including SEVEN IN A ROW.
At one point they won 88 straight games. No team or coach has ever even come CLOSE to any of those numbers. He was beloved by all who knew him and if you read the quotes below you’ll get an idea why. He was 99 when he died.
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
“Never mistake activity for achievement.”
“Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”
“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.”
“Be prepared and be honest.”
“You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.”
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”
“Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character.”
“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”
“Ability is a poor man’s wealth.”
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
“Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.”
“Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.
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Some fine quotes there. I particularly like “Never mistake activity for achievement.” – that was one of my earliest sins.
John was a family friend of sorts – kind of far-removed from me personally, but I did meet him twice, and he seemed like the most genuine person one might ever meet. Thanks for taking the time to remember him.
As a long time coach and sports fan I have been aware of the greatness of John Wooden for years. Thanks for sharing this. Here’s a quote of his that I have on my computer,
“Balance, next to Love, is the most important thing in the world”.
Coaching is a special profession and he was one of the best. Thanks for all you gave to so many, John, RIP.
Wooden is featured in a book every entrepreneur should read: “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle.
The description of Wooden’s incredible ability to coach players way beyond their apparent potential is described in vivid detail. And it looks so ordinary, so unspectacular, that you could have watched him for 30 years and never figured out what made his methods so special.
The heart of it was simply presence – being there in the moment for each player, rather than responding out of a story of the past or hope for the future.
It had been really helpful. many thanks for posting. I most certainly will share it with my friends. Thank you