Jun 14, 2010
RIP, John Wooden
Recently the legendary UCLA college basketball coach John Wooden passed away at age 99. What is significant is, the man was such a dedicated teacher, motivator, who truly cared about his players and their families. He took sports in context - more concerned that his players grow to be good people than simply better players.
Like me, you may have heard former players, coaches, media and fans line up to pay heartfelt tribute to this extraordinary man. What a difference he made.
Outside of his incredible success as a UCLA coach including eleven or so Final Four national championships and an incredible 88 wins in a row, Wooden contributed much to the literature of personal success through his book "The Pyramid of Success", lessons for living.
Wooden often spoke of Three Simple rules he had for his players :
- Be On Time.
- No Profanity.
- Never Criticize Another Teammate.
Be on time - for classes, practices commitments, responsibilities.
Find more mature and articulate ways of communicating than taking the low road.
Be candid but be helpful with those who are sharing your goals. You depend on each other.
Food for thought. The more you think about it, the higher the bar.
In any event, life was enriched because the Wizard of Westwood was part of it. RIP Mr. Wooden. Thanks for the lessons.
- JJ
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