Passing Shots

Wooden Legend Lives On

As a lifelong sports fan growing up in Southern California, I heard about John Wooden all the time. I read stories about him receiving this award or that, saw him interviewed on television or watching a UCLA game from his courtside seat at Pauley Pavilion. But I had never met him until last Wednesday, when Jeff Fellenzer invited me to sit in on his ‘Evening with John Wooden’ at USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism. In speaking with Jeff since the event, I learned that dozens of his students e-mailed him afterwards to express how much they enjoyed meeting Coach Wooden and how much they learned from him. One such e-mail Jeff was kind enough to share with me reads: ‘I just wanted to thank you for arranging Coach Wooden’s visit to class. I greatly enjoyed it and found myself thinking about him often this past week. I know that it was a lot for him to come all the way over here and I’m sure it wasn’t an easy task. And I hope he knows how much it was appreciated. I’m not sure the class really understood just who was sitting in the room. Sports stars of the past are of a greater caliber than they are today and I’m not sure they realize and appreciate the rarity of Mr. Wooden’s style. But I’d like to think they did. I know I did. Thanks again and send my regards to Coach.’ Another student told Jeff she had watched last weekend’s Wooden Awards and was amazed a man his age could have so much energy and enthusiasm. The sentiments expressed by these students and others were shared by all of us who were fortunate enough to be in that classroom with Coach Wooden. He was our teacher that night and in those three short hours he gave us new things to think about and reminded us of things we’d long forgotten. He rattled off ‘Woodenisms’ faster than my fingers could write them down but some of what he said was so profound that I know I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. One of his favorite sayings has to do with character: ‘Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character is what you are while your reputation is merely what others say you are.’ Another gem: ‘Sports is like a passion’it’s temporary. Education is like true love’enduring.’ He has hundreds more of these at the ready, a phrase or quote to fit every situation. The more I listened to him talk, the more respect I gained for him because I could tell what he was saying was sincere. He is a man who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk. Like the old E.F. Hutton commercial’when Coach Wooden speaks, you drop what you’re doing and listen because you know you’re going to learn something. I think what makes his advice so valuable is it’s simplicity. His concepts are not hard to understand and rarely do they require more than a simple change in attitude or action. He talked about one of the obstacles to happiness in today’s society being ‘too much emphasis on material things, when true happiness lies in things that can’t be taken away.’ He was the ultimate winner, yet he never talked to his players about winning. As I sat there observing, two things in particular impressed me. The first was his healthy sense of humor. The man is flat out funny and if laughter is indeed the eternal healer, it’s easy to see why John Wooden has outlived most of his generation. Just as remarkable to me is how humble he remains despite all that he has achieved in his life. Perhaps Jeff said it best when he described John as a teacher without being a preacher. People with that kind of character are a gift to the world. In his bestselling book ‘Wooden’ he defines success as ‘peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.’ His now-famous ‘Pyramid of Success’ is a tool that shapes winners far beyond the basketball court, even beyond the athletic arena. And John Wooden is the living embodiment of that formula. He tells us to ‘make each day a masterpiece’ while he paints a Picasso with his. He says ‘Don’t try to be better than anyone else, just try to be the best you can be’ while he honors young student-athletes for their achievements and pays no attention to his own. Wooden saved perhaps his strongest message for last, quoting from Mother Theresa: ‘A life not lived for others is not a life.’ As those who have met him can attest, John Wooden is a special man living a special life who has a lot left to live for.