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Basketball Angel/Man-gel
By admin | December 12, 2009
This weekend is the John Wooden classic, named after one of my favorite sportsmen of all time. Coach Wooden put together a record 10 NCAA basketball titles. Seven of those ten were all in a row. His abilities as a coach may never be topped. Far and above coaching prowess, his most important contributions are being an icon of devotion to family and treating his players like sons.
As the mother of two young men, I can think of few better role models for them than Coach Wooden. At 99 years of age, he remains a beacon of faith and goodness. His measure of success was not about winning or losing, it was about whether each player knew they had given 110% effort. He pretty much avoided talking about winning at all. In fact, he would say that you are the only person who can know if you’ve done your best, or not. The first quote on his website reads, “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.” True greatness comes from measuring yourself not by what others evaluate as success. True greatness comes when you know that you have given every fiber of your being to what you participate and believe in.
Educational and sports accomplishment were equally important to coach. He considered it his job to make certain that his players were educated, well rounded human beings.
He believes the most important word in the English language to be love, and remains devoted to his wife Nelly though she died in 1985. His own health permitting, he visits her grave on the 21st of each month and writes a love letter which is placed on a pillow she used to sleep upon.
With all the scandal reported in athletics, John Wooden represents the best of sports and of human kind.
Today as I dove into a plate of hot wings with my sons watching basketball, I told them that they were two young “John Woodens” in the making. Whatever they do, wherever they go, it is my greatest hope that they live life as well, and fully as Coach Wooden.
Thank you coach for being an angel in our midst, a man-gel of highest caliber.
(www.coachwooden.com)
Topics: John Wooden, basketball |