"Coach of the 20th Century" John Wooden Died at the Age of 99

John Wooden was a coach like no other. He won ten NCAA National Championships in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1975. Seven of those championships were in seven consecutive years. Coach Wooden set numerous records in his coaching career and many believe those records will never be broken. He was declared as "Coach of the 20th Century" by ESPN and was awarded a President Medal of Freedom. Coach John Wooden was a legend.

The Early Years
John Robert Wooden was born on October 14, 1910 in Hall, Indiana. He met his wife, Nellie Riley, when he was 15. They later marry in 1932 after he graduated from college. John Wooden played basketball in high school. The team lost the Indiana State High School Championship in 1926, came back to win it in 1927, and while Wooden was captain lost the 1928 state championships.

College Years
In the autumn of 1928, Wooden began his college education at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He played basketball for Coach Piggy Lambert. Wooden says his coach was, "The greatest influence on me both from the standpoint of playing and coaching. Coach Lambert had a fetish for details." Wooden was honored with the Big Ten medal of excellence in scholarship and later named to the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.

Only Losing Season
In autumn of 1932, Wooden moved to Dayton, Kentucky where he worked as the Athletic Director, a Coach, and an English Teacher. During his inaugural year as a coach, he had a losing season. In Wooden's entire career (as a player and as a coach) he only had one losing season.

In 1934, the couple moved back to Indiana and Wooden worked at South Bend Central High School as a coach and teacher. In 1942, Coach Wooden joined the United States Navy to serve in World War II as a Lieutenant.

History Maker
Coach Wooden coached his team to the conference title in 1946. However, when his team was invited to the NAIA Tournament Coach Wooden declined because African-Americans were not permitted to play. The following year, Indiana State again won and was invited to the same NAIA Tournament. This time, the policy was changed and Coach Wooden accepted the invitation. Clarence Walker played for Indiana State and was the very first black student to play in a NAIA tournament.

Moving to California
In 1948 Coach Wooden accepted an offer to coach basketball at UCLA as the head coach. That year, the UCLA Bruins were the champions of the Pacific Coast Conference, Southern Division.

NCAA National Champions
In 1964, the UCLA Bruins and Coach Wooden claimed their first title as NCAA National Champions. They again won the Championship title in 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1975. Coach Wooden retired in March of 1975 from his position as UCLA coach. In his retirement, Coach Wooden continued coaching and teaching through writing books and traveling to share his wisdom and experiences.

Coach Wooden's Philosophy Lives On
Coach Wooden died on June 4, 2010 at the age of 99. In addition to being a coach, a teacher, and a legend: John Wooden created a legacy. His wisdom will live on forever through the snippets of advice he delivers to anyone that hears his quotes. His sentiments are beautiful and truly are words to live by.

"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."

"Ability is a poor man's wealth."

"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."

"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."

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."

"I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent."

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

"If you are not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

"It isn't what you do, but how you do it."

"It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes 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."

"Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable."

"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."

"The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones."

"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."

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

"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."

"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."

Resources:

www.coachwooden.com

www.brainyquotes.com