What struck me the most when reading the many articles this weekend on the passing of basketball coaching legend John Wooden were the words being used, by the people who knew him best, to describe him – kind, selfless, humble, honest, wise, loyal, gentleman, teacher, grounded in faith, loving, fair, patient. One article noted that one of his team rules was no cursing. Can you imagine that rule on a Bob Knight-coached team? When U.C.L.A. decided to honor Wooden and his wife by naming the court at Pauley Pavilion after them, Wooden insisted that his wife’s name be put first, so it became officially the Nell and John Wooden Court. His career numbers as a coach are staggering – 10 national championships (the next highest total for one individual coach is 4), a record 88 game winning streak, total domination of the college game and similar to Wayne Gretzky’s numbers as an NHL player. Some critics might argue that he was blessed with some of the greatest players of all time, including legends Kareem Abdul Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) and Bill Walton. I would agree with the comments of Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, who noted that Wooden’s accomplishments are even more amazing because they came in a time of turmoil, when young people were striving to be individuals and protesting against the Vietnam War, for Civil Rights and against the “establishment”. Yet he managed, year after year, to pull his team together and convince them to put their individualism aside to strive for the team goal. His story is the ultimate statement that nice guys CAN finish first.
