I grew up in Whittier, CA-- 30 miles from UCLA. An uncle turned me onto UCLA basketball at age 9. I was hooked. The home game used to be replayed at 10 p.m. and I never missed a game.
John Wooden’s teams were disciplined and efficient: The Bruins’ press could turn a close game into a blowout in an instant. More importantly, his teams won with class.
When Austin Carr and Notre Dame ended a winning streak in 1971, I was shattered. My family still reminds me today that I cried after that defeat.
I was upset when the Irish stopped an 88-game streak in 1974, but by then I was able to hold back the tears.
Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and inspirational quotes touched so many of us--and not just basketball fans. Respect, personal responsibility, humility, hard work, self- satisfaction: classic Wooden attributes, which resonate in 2010 as much as they did back in the day.
A few years back, I sought to bring some of John Wooden’s tenets to my profession. With an assist to Wooden, I dubbed it the “Sports Information Director Trapezoid of Achievement.” (To view a .pdf copy pf the Trapezoid, click Here: http://www.greensborocollegesports.com/custompages/trapezoid-sid.pdf)
Although Wooden despised the name “Wizard of Westwood,” the man was a giant in Southern California and beyond. He may have chosen coaching as a profession, but saw himself as a teacher.
If John Wooden had opened a ministry, I would’ve been the first at his church door.
