
John Wooden – ‘coach of the century’ and his definition of success
College sports in the US is a very, very Big Deal.
Games featuring the most famous US college sporting teams – Notre Dame, the University of Texas and Georgia Tech – are supported by millions of fans who follow their favourites just as fervently as do the fans of professional teams.
Among the All-American razza matazz of college sports, a few individuals have risen above the rest to become legends, household names who have transcended their college and their sport to live forever in American popular culture.
One is Knut Rockne at Notre Dame. Another is John Wooden at UCLA.
Known as the ‘Wizard of Westwood’, the record books say John’s UCLA basketball team in the 1960s and early 1970s won 12 titles in 10 years, including seven in a row.
The next best is four championships in succession.
When John arrived at UCLA in 1948, its basketball program was little known and its team played in a modest gym. By the time he left, UCLA was an unparalleled powerhouse.
In 2009, The Sporting News named John Wooden as the Greatest Coach of All Time.
A teacher by profession, he wanted to give his students – and his players – a higher aspiration that would be more meaningful to them than just achieving the top score in class or winning a game of sport.
John is a devoutly religious and he drew from Scripture to formulate his own definition of success – “Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable.”
It sounds like a very useful recipe for anyone who is Switched ON and wants to dedicate themselves to the serious job of setting a Wellbeing plan that lists all of the physical, emotional and intellectual achievements we want for ourselves.
We can even take John’s influence further and imagine Coach Wooden watching us from the stands, knowing that we’re giving ourselves and our families and our communities the best of which we’re capable.
Games featuring the most famous US college sporting teams – Notre Dame, the University of Texas and Georgia Tech – are supported by millions of fans who follow their favourites just as fervently as do the fans of professional teams.
Among the All-American razza matazz of college sports, a few individuals have risen above the rest to become legends, household names who have transcended their college and their sport to live forever in American popular culture.
One is Knut Rockne at Notre Dame. Another is John Wooden at UCLA.
Known as the ‘Wizard of Westwood’, the record books say John’s UCLA basketball team in the 1960s and early 1970s won 12 titles in 10 years, including seven in a row.
The next best is four championships in succession.
When John arrived at UCLA in 1948, its basketball program was little known and its team played in a modest gym. By the time he left, UCLA was an unparalleled powerhouse.
In 2009, The Sporting News named John Wooden as the Greatest Coach of All Time.
A teacher by profession, he wanted to give his students – and his players – a higher aspiration that would be more meaningful to them than just achieving the top score in class or winning a game of sport.
John is a devoutly religious and he drew from Scripture to formulate his own definition of success – “Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable.”
It sounds like a very useful recipe for anyone who is Switched ON and wants to dedicate themselves to the serious job of setting a Wellbeing plan that lists all of the physical, emotional and intellectual achievements we want for ourselves.
We can even take John’s influence further and imagine Coach Wooden watching us from the stands, knowing that we’re giving ourselves and our families and our communities the best of which we’re capable.
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