John Wooden: "The Wizard of Westwood"

Ten NCAA mens basketball championships (which includes seven in a row), Sixteen Final Four appearances, 88 consecutive wins and Thirty-eight straight tournaments. Those are records that may possibly never be broken and all of those records belong to UCLA basketball teams guided by John Wooden. If that is insufficient evidence to convince you of Wooden's legendary reputation, consider the fact that he is among only three individuals to be elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. There is absolutely no doubt that Wooden was ahead of the game. But what was it, precisely, that made him one among sports very best stories of success?

In 1948, Wooden accepted the empty coaching position at UCLA. At the time Wooden accepted the coaching job in California, UCLA had not had much prior success. In reality, they were widely known as one of the the weakest teams inside the Pacific Conference. Many felt the addition of Wooden would have minimal influence on the team. However, they were quickly proven wrong. In Wooden's first year as coach, UCLA went 22-7. One year later, the Bruins produced a 24-7 record and won the conference title.

They'd go on to win the title yet again in 1952, 1956, 1962 and 1963. However, it was not until 1964, almost 16 years after Wooden was appointed, that the Bruins would win their 1st title. Not only did they win the title, but they managed it in perfect style, winning every game they took part in that year. The Wooden-led Bruins would win the championship again in 1965.

From 1967 to 1973, the Bruins acquired 7 NCAA basketball championship banners for their stadium's rafters. No team before, or after, the UCLA Bruins from the late 1960's and early Seventies has been capable of matching this sort of historical run of prominence. The fact is, you'd be hard-pressed to discover any team, from any sport, to match the accomplishment that the Bruins had during their run.

1974 was the first year in seven seasons that the Bruins failed to win a title. However, between the '73 and '74 season, UCLA established an NCAA record by winning Eighty eight consecutive games.

In 1975, in Wooden's final year, the Bruins once again went back to the national spotlight and captured their final championship in the Wooden era. At the conclusion of his career, John Wooden had amassed 885 wins and produced an .813 winning percentage.

Wooden never spoke with his teams about winning or losing. Rather, he only spoke on making the effort to win. He was not as focused on the results of the games he coached, as he was with how his players managed themselves. All Wooden required from his players, was that they give the team their very best. With 10 championships over a 12-year period, I'd have to say that that philosophy paid off pretty well.

To see about the life and principles of a man who was so modest but still found such a lot of success was extremely motivating for me. Wooden had such a large effect on his players and on the people around him. It's funny, because, while Ive never been in John Wooden's presence, you can feel what those that did encounter him must have felt, by studying some of his work. Whatever the praise he gets from past players and rival coaches, it is made obviously clear in his writing that he was a man of remarkable sincerity. There's a lot that may be learned from the renowned coach and his life is definitely one of the better stories of success.

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