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— Scott Allison and George Goethals
Sadly, you don’t find too many coaches like Wooden anymore. Today, most coaches only care about winning and doing whatever it takes to make sure that happens. Wooden, however, demonstrates what it really means to be a coach and to lead a team. Yes, he had rules, but what coach does not? It was the way he made his players feel that is most important. He saw the best in every player, even if he knew they had room for improvement and it appears as if he never gave up on anyone. That is what makes a real coach and someone that I know I would love to play for.
Wooden still is a model teacher for us basketball coaches. His ability to keep things simple, sensible, and clear are what made him a great coach, not some genius X’s and O’s. I disagree, Melanie, that few coaches are like this. You are correct in the aspect that we need more Woodens, but many coaches in youth sports do it for the kids. Wooden’s legacy will not be forgotten. His 10 championships will keep his name atop the record books, but his character and the WAY he did it will make him a model forever.
wodden is arguably the best coach who ever lived. his passion to see his players succed was remarkable. His determinaion to change his players from young boys to men is what made his organization famous.
“Success is about reaching one’s full potential.” What an excellent philosophy. Success does not have to be found at someone else’s expense.
And how great it is to see a coach promoting education first, rather than treating a game as the only thing that matters.
John Wooden is the greatest coach of all time. Most of the records his teams at UCLA won will never be broken because they are too impressive. But John Wooden’s heroism extends beyond the records on the court. He is one of the most respected men in the world and had a lasting impact on everyone who encountered him.
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With so many athletes today skipping years of college to go pro and not getting their degrees, it is nice to be reminded that it was not always this way. Especially with all of the athletes making the news for indiscretions rather than prowess or being community leaders, it is clear that coaches should follow Wooden’s philosophy of being a teacher rather than a coach and teaching not just X’s and O’s, but how to be good citizens.
I think John Wooden definitely deserves his award as the greatest coach ever. Wooden wanted success on the the court, but he was more determined to turn his players into great men as well as athletes. He wanted them to become good students, husbands and fathers. Unlike many coaches who only seek success, Wooden sought changing the players’ lives.
Hard not to consider John Wooden a hero after all the wins he has racked up over the years of coaching, also his national championships he has won. One of the greatest coaches of all time. If not the greatest ever.
John Wooden has the credentials to prove that he is one of the best basketball coaches of all time. He coached UCLA to an NCAA record number of championships. He was undoubtedly a skilled coach on the court, but his greatest accomplishments occurred off of the court. He valued teaching his players not only about basketball but also about life. In watching him talk today, we see a man that seems to have a greater understanding of the world and a remarkable ability to simply pass down the wisdom he has accumulated.
http://www.indiangiftguru.com/ says John Wooden’s story reminds of Mahabharata story epic from India in which Arjun’s (One of the Pandav brother) Guru (Coach) Dronacharya had similar qualities whcih inspired their student to excel .
John Wooden is an inspiration to all people young and old. Through John Wooden’s outstanding leadership, his team responded by actually following through with his philosophy of “be the best you can be/try your best”. A hero must have a post-humus effect on people, for good philosophies and good advice transcends the passage of time. Therefore, John Wooden is one of the greatest heroes in sports history.
I would agree to Melanie:
“Sadly, you don't find too many coaches like Wooden anymore.”
He is one of a kind. He’s got full of skills, ideas and has passion to share everything he got to train other people. He’s a true hero.
John Wooden is one of, if not the greatest coaches to have ever lived. His coaching went pass the line of X’s and O’s, but to teach his basketball players virtues. Virtues that could enable any team to win as the UCLA program did. Wooden’s leadership and coaching abilities was everything a coach could ask for.
John Wooden is a legendary coach one of the best coaches to ever coach the game. Winning was about becoming the best you can be not always about defeating your opponent. John Wooden was a coach who could get his players to stay at ucla instead of doing one year and going to the pros this is another reason of why he was a great coach.