RIP: John Wooden (1910-2010)

We lost one of the greatest sport coaches of all-time, maybe the best ever. The Wooden Pyramid should be on or near every coaches desktop. This link shows how much the great minds do think alike. Some wisdom from Wooden, Lombardi and Ben Franklin to boot.


http://www.squidoo.com/coachjohnwooden

Contemporaries

Lombardi and Wooden

I hesitate to include this, but Lombardi quarterback Bart Starr has written that the philosophies of these coaches of different sports were "very much the same." (A Perspective on Victory, Follett Publishing Co., 1972). Wooden did not give pre-game motivational speeches; professional football coaches may need to; reportedly, at the close of the following speech, inebriated middle-aged businessmen in the 1960s were ready to take the field or run through a brick wall.

From When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss (Simon & Schuster, 1999) (pp. 397-406)


February 8, 1967
New York
Speech to American Management Association
Vince Lombardi

Block One
The Meaning of Football


Football is a game very much like life, a game which gives 100 per cent elation, 100 per cent fun, when you win, yet demands and extracts a 100 per cent resolution, 100 per cent determination when you lose, a violent game and to play it any other way but violently would be imbecilic, a game played by millions of Americans, yet completely uninhibited by racial or social barriers, a game that demands the Spartan qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication and fearlessness.

I have been in football all my life, and although I sometimes wonder why I stay in an occupation as precarious as football coaching, I do not feel particularly qualified to be part of anything else.

Block Two
The American Zeal


Over the years I have grown increasingly worried about the lack of interest in competition, particularly athletic competition among our young people. Men need the test of competition to find their better selves, whether it is in sports, politics or business.

I need no greater authority than the great General MacArthur, and I would like to quote some of the things he said to me. Namely: "Competitive sports keeps alive in all of us a spirit of vitality and enterprise. It teaches the strong to know when they are weak and the brave to face themselves when they are afraid. To be proud and unbending in defeat, yet humble and gentle in victory. To master ourselves before we attempt to master others. To learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep, and it gives a predominance of courage over timidity.

Block Three
A Man's Personal Commitment to Excellence and Victory


While complete victory can never be won, it must be pursued, it must be wooed with all of one's might. Each week there is a new encounter, each year there is a new challenge. But all of the display, all of the noise, all of the glamour, and all of the color and excitement, they exist only in the memory. But the spirit, the will to excel, the will to win, they endure, they last forever. These are the qualities, I think, that are larger and more important than any of the events that occasion them.

Block Four
Abuse of Liberty


For most of the twentieth century, we as individuals have struggled to liberate ourselves from ancient traditions, congealed creeds and despotic states. Therefore, freedom was necessarily idealized against order, the new against the old, and genius against discipline. Everything was done to strengthen the rights of the individual and weaken the state, and weaken the church, and weaken all authority. I think we all shared in this rebellion, but maybe the battle was too completely won, maybe we have too much freedom. Maybe we have so long ridiculed authority in the family, discipline in education, and decency in conduct and law that our freedom has brought us close to chaos.

I am sure you are disturbed like I am by what seems to be a complete breakdown of law and order and the moral code which is almost beyond belief. Unhappily, our youth, the most gifted segment of our population, the heirs to scientific advances and freedom's breath, the beneficiaries of their elders' sacrifices and achievements, seem, in too large numbers, to have disregard for the law's authority, for its meaning, for its indispensability to their enjoyment of the fullness of life, and have conjoined with certain of their elders, who should know better, to seek a development of a new right, the right to violate the law with impunity. The prevailing sentiment seems to be if you don't like the rule, break it.

Block Five
Discipline


It could be that our leaders no longer understand the relationship between themselves and the people they lead.

That is, while most shout to be independent, they at the same time wish to be dependent, and while most shout to assert themselves, they at the same time wish to be told what to do.

Block Six
What Makes a Great Leader?


Leaders are made, not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.

A leader must identify himself with the group, must back up the group, even at the risk of displeasing his superiors. He must believe that the group wants from him a sense of approval. If this feeling prevails, production, discipline and morale will be high, and in return he can demand the cooperation to promote the goals of the company. He must believe in teamwork through participation. As a result, the contact must be close and informal. He must be sensitive to the emotional needs and expectations of others. In return, the attitude toward him should be one of confidence and, possibly, affection. The leader, in spite of what was said above, can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk, as it were, a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control that he must exert.

Block Seven
Character and Will


The character, rather than education, is man's greatest need and man's greatest safeguard, because character is higher than intellect. While it is true the difference between men is in energy, in the strong will, in the settled purpose and in the invincible determination, the new leadership is in sacrifice, it is in self-denial, it is in love and loyalty, it is in fearlessness, it is in humility, and it is in the perfectly disciplined will. This, gentlemen, is the distinction between great and little men.

The love I'm speaking of is loyalty, which is the greatest of loves. Teamwork, the love that one man has for another and that he respects the dignity of another. The love that I am speaking of is charity. I am not speaking of detraction. You show me a man who belittles another and I will show you a man who is not a leader; or one who is not charitable, who has no respect for the dignity of another, is not loyal, and I will show you a man who is not a leader. I am not advocating that love is the answer to everything. I am not speaking of a love which forces everyone to love everybody else, that you must love the white man because he is white or the black man because he is your enemy, but rather of a love that one man has for another human being. Heart power is the strength of your company. Heart power is the strength of the Green Bay Packers. Heart power is the strength of America and hate power is the weakness of the world.

A Precursor

Thirteen Virtues of Benjamin Franklin

Legendary coach Pete Newell quoted Ben Franklin to explain his own philosophy, "Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge. For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost, and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for want of care about a horseshoe nail." It sums up John Wooden's philosophy as well.

From The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin:

1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

11. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Wisdom that comes from sports

What, if any, kind of wisdom can be gained from participating in or being a fan of a sports team. Are sports really the toy department of the daily news cycle with no real value-added for the experience of viewing or participating? Why do we even watch sports? Is it for the diversion? A male version of the soap opera or reality show?

I'm hopeful there is at times, a somewhat larger purpose. The famous political columnist George Will, author of "Men at Work" --one of the best books about the game of baseball ever written--say that "Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence".

Like the movies and the theater they may, at their worst, only provide diversion but at their best they have much wisdom to offer if we are willing to watch and listen with discernment. We see real life examples of values like character and discipline serve our favorite athletes, coaches and teams. They allow them to rise to the highest levels of their game. Rare is the team or athlete who succeeds without these two values residing at their core.

John Wooden used to say about discipline, "Discipline yourself and others won't need to". What parent or child would not benefit from having that simple philosophy at the core of their beliefs?

Regarding character, Wooden would say, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are".

These examples of solid wisdom--rooted in successful life experience--provide a template for us to follow, whether we want to lead a successful company, sports team or family.

WISDOM - But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. - James 3:17

The Blessing of Sports in our lives

THE POPE BLESSING THE VIRTUES OF SPORTS - THANKS POPE.

"The correct practice of sport must be accompanied by practicing the virtues of temperance and sacrifice; frequently it also requires a good team spirit, respectful attitudes, the appreciation of the qualities of others, honesty in the game and humility to recognize one's own limitations. In short, sports, especially in less competitive forms, foster festive celebration and friendly coexistence. While playing sports, Christians also find help in developing the cardinal virtues—fortitude, temperance, prudence and justice."

Pope John Paul II

25th World Day of Tourism
"Sports and Culture:Two Vital Forces for
Mutual Understanding, Culture and Development among Countries."
September 27, 2004

Even Popes recognize the virtues of sports in our lives and the values they can promote to make us into better citizens of the world and better people. That's cool.

I am thankful for the blessings that some of my favorite athletes and coaches provide to us all.

Baseball:
Albert Pujols
Mariano Rivera
Matt Holliday
John Smoltz
Jamie Moyer
Lance Berkman
Orel Herschiser

Coaching:
John Wooden
Tony Dungy
Bobby Bowden
Turner Gill

Football:
Tim Tebow
Kurt Warner

I will be watching to see if the Giants make a bid for Matt Holliday. A solid bat, great clubhouse presence and a great role model.

Obviously, it doesn't get much better than Albert Pujols, who is going to have a stranglehold on NL MVP for years to come.

While I'm happy to see Turner Gill get a long overdue shot on a big time stage at Kansas, it is offset a bit by the way Florida State allowed Bobby Bowden to end his career at Florida State. Bowden put that school on the college football landscape. Shame on FSU for not allowing him to go out on his own terms.

As for Tim Tebow, I would take him on the Giants no questions asked. Where they will be drafting, I'm not sure if you get much more value out of another position and Eli can't play every down...like Peyton Manning does....dang maybe he can. Hopefully, he gets the chance to compete somewhere as a QB, that boy can get some things done and win some games for you.

BLESSING - "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. - Genesis 12:2

Happy 99th Birthday to John Wooden

John Wooden - Pyramid of Success

His record and accomplishments would stand by themselves in listing Coach Wooden at the top of the list of the greatest coaches of all-time. However, his approach to developing the athlete as a person as well as a player, IMO puts Wooden over the top.

Coach John Wooden: Pursuing Victory With Honor and the Teacher-Coach You Tube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvX0fkEp0cs

Pursuing Victory With Honor gives coaches and athletic administrators the tools they need to foster good character and positive sportsmanship in their young athletes. PVWH recognizes the unique learning opportunity that athletics has in shaping the character of today's student-athletes while still encouraging the competitive pursuit of victory.

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed

John Robert Wooden (born October 14, 1910, in Martinsville, Indiana) is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (Class of 1961) and a coach (Class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories.

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

From CharacterCounts.org

The Five Principles of Winning Honorably

Sports best achieves its positive impact on participants and society when everyone plays to win. Winning is important, and trying to win is essential. But so too is how you win. Below are five principles that all sports programs should follow:

1. Winning is important, but honor is more important. Quality sports programs should not trivialize or demonize the desire to win. It’s disrespectful to athletes and coaches to say, “It’s only a game.” The greatest value of sports is its ability to enhance the character and uplift the ethics of participants and spectators.

2. Ethics is essential to true winning.The best strategy is not to de-emphasize winning but to more vigorously emphasize ethical standards and sportsmanship in the honorable pursuit of victory. That’s winning in its truest sense.

3. There’s no true victory without honor. Cheating and bad sportsmanship rob victories of their value.

4. Ethics and sportsmanship are ground rules. Sports programs must never be subordinated to the desire to win. It’s never proper to act unethically to succeed.

5. Benefits of sports come from the competition, not the outcome. The vital lessons and great value of sports are learned from the honorable pursuit of victory, not from victories, titles, or win-loss records.

DUNGY WALKS AWAY FROM COLTS

There are those that are already measuring Tony Dungy's career in terms like "Is he a Hall of Fame coach?" or "Did he do enough (only one Super Bowl) with the Colts and the Buccaneers?"

In the first place, I'm not sure Tony Dungy measures his coaching career entirely by his W-L record. This is a coach, like John Wooden in college basketball, whose impact is going to be measured on his ability not only to make young men into better football players, but also his impact in making them into better people.

Their X's and O's transcend the playing field. You can hear it in the reverence with which their ex-players speak of the experience of playing for them and the lessons learned together, the battles fought together.

He's one of the rare coaches who seems to take the approach that strength of character somehow, someway translates into being a better, more reliable football player. He makes them better men and somehow they also become better players than they thought they could be.

Contrast to his successor in Tampa, Jon Gruden. A coach who, IMO, is wearing one of Dungys Super Bowl rings. Yes, yes, Gruden was the titular head of the team that won the title. But it was Dungy who built that franchise from an embarrassment of epic proportions--a creamsicle colored laughingstock--into a contender.


REMEMBER THESE BUCCANEERS? - IF YOU DON'T, THANK TONY DUNGY

It was Dungy who did all the heavy lifting. It was Dungy who laid the foundation for winning there. All Gruden had to do that year was not screw it up. Has Gruden built further onto the strong foundation that was there, courtesy of Dungy? No, I think not.

So much for the "only one Super Bowl" argument. As for the Hall of Fame argument, of course he is in. As if what he did on the field was not enough, being a great role model and ambassador for the league puts him over the top easily.

Further contrast the philosophical approach to player personnel. Gruden it seems would be in the camp that would have Charles Manson play for him if he could run a 4.3 forty. And he wouldn't give a hoot about his off the field activities. I know who I would rather play for.

Suffice to say that Dungy is one of my favorite all-time coaches.

And here's the final reason why. Of how many football or baseball coaches can it be said when they retire?

"We'll miss him, but he's cut out for better things"

Not too many. Not too many indeed.

COACH DUNGY AND "QUIET STRENGTH"

ONE OF THESE COACHES IS A WINNER - AND ONE IS A LOSER - ANY QUESTIONS???

This story really illustrates what is wrong with the MSM, talk radio mentality we have today in sports and politics as well. The part of the story that received the most attention, the most airplay was Coach Dungy's closing remarks as reported below:

Then someone asked if anything happened last season that he wished he could include in the book. What followed was vintage Dungy. He seized the opening. He brought up the videotaping scandal with the New England Patriots.

"We talk about how important it is to do things the right way and have integrity so that when you do win, people can never ask that question," he said. "That's the great thing that I'm happy about with our team.

"Yes, we won. But no one is really going to ask, 'Did they cheat? Did they do things the right way?' I think our record speaks for itself and if you're a true champion, that's the way you'd like it to be."

Now as I read it, he did not mention the Patriots directly, but I agree with his message entirely. I think it is a joke how virtually every mouthpiece and talking head has put the whitewash to the Matt Walsh tapes saying they didn't reveal anything new, they didn't have any impact on the Patriots Super Bowl, etc. etc.

Well, there was new information in that they were taping the offensive signals as well. That was new information. They taped a team before an AFC Championship Game. The argument that it had no impact begs the question posed by those who do not accept the "steroids don't help you hit HR's" argument, "Then why did they do it?"

I suppose they did it because "everybody else was doing it". I'm not sure why everyone else was doing it if it didn't work though. I'm still having trouble reconciling those two arguments. Besides, like my Mom used to say, "If everyone else was jumping off a bridge, would you jump off too?" You gotta love a Mom's wisdom.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

The Patriots and Belli-cheat must have thought it would help or he would not have committed valuable team time and resources in doing it. THEY CLEARLY THOUGHT IT WOULD HELP. They weren't taping these signals for posterity. Or if the opposing coaches all forgot their own signals they could just requisition the Patriot for their tapes and they could re-learn them.

I think it's time that we institute the same types of disclosure rules that we impose on analysts and CEO's when they go before the media and talk about a particular stock or company. They have to completely disclose any relationships they have with the company that could cloud or impact the information being dispensed.

So before these talking heads pontificate and editorialize about these issues they would have to disclose that "my station is a corporate partner of the NFL". Instead, we get the nonsense that these ass-clowns are legitimate reporters who would never let buckets of money cloud their stated opinions. Or that of their bosses. Give me a break. I believe the relevant phrase that describes the situation is "You don't shit where you eat". You might as well refer to ESPN News as the ESPN Spin and Promote our Corporate Partners Department. Those boys can spin a story like a top.

But don't listen to just my opinion. Here is the opinion of former Sports Illustrated journalist and author Rick Reilly before he jumped over to the dark-side that is ESPN. I'm guessing you won't hear nearly the same opinions from Mr. Reilly in the future. A $12 million dollar salary (hush-money) buys a shitload of silence:


RICK REILLY RELEASING HIS INNER NOAM CHOMSKY

After listening to that, every time I see Mr. Reilly on ESPN, I'm sure I'll be reminded of that joke that ends "....we know what you are, we're just deciding on the price."
(for those who are old-joke handicapped, it rhymes with bore, only with the H-sound instead of the B-)

And to the idiot ex-players on ESPN who say it makes no difference that the Pats taped (cheated): Why then when you played did you have signals and audibles in the first place? Why didn't you just go up to the line and, instead of barking out signals or pointing like spasmodic idiots, just yell at the defense "We're going to run a toss sweep to left and you can't stop us, you pansies." And then the middle linebacker could yell back, "That's fine bucket-head, we have a run blitz called, we're going to stuff your toss sweep right back up your butt."

It doesn't work that way because there is a large advantage in disguising coverages and blitzes, etc.

Oh and I love how the fall back argument is "Well who cares? Everybody was doing it."

I just love how these hypocritical idiots pick and choose how and where to apply their ethics. Great lesson for the kids. Luckily for us adults, it seems as if the kids from Jefferson High School see through the mixed messages they're getting. They should be applauded for that.

What gets lost in the story is the impact that Coach Dungy still has among Tampa's youth and he's not even the current football coach of the local team. The impact his book has had on that group makes Dungy a Hall of Fame coach and a HOF human being. That's why he'll always be a better coach, unless you only look at wins/losses, Super Bowl rings. And even that metric can be deceiving.

I'm glad to see the book get it's just due as well. I've mentioned the book before here and it's listed as one of my favorite books, I would give it high marks. It is one of the best books I've ever read by a coach. Like a John Wooden, Dungy doesn't just teach the sport, he doesn't just build the skills of the players he coaches, he builds the inner strength and character of the individual.

That's what great coaches do. It's clear that he and Coach Bellicheat move in different circles and operate from opposite ends of the spectrum ethically and morally.

Of one of the two, you can say great coach, great person, great character, WINNER. Only one. The other one will be defined using the exact opposite word.
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http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/09/sp-dungys-quiet-strength-gets-jefferson-students-f/?sports-columns

Dungy's 'Quiet Strength' Fires Up Jefferson Students
By JOE HENDERSON
Published: May 9, 2008

TAMPA - Both sides of the Jefferson High gymnasium were packed with stomping, cheering, chattering students early Thursday afternoon. They weren't there for a pep rally or a big game, although you couldn't have guessed that by how excited everyone seemed.

They were there because of a book.

Tony Dungy's book.

"This is a little hard to believe here," he said with a look that suggested he wasn't quite ready for how big this had become. "When we wrote the book, you hoped it might get into the hands of young people and maybe have an impact for good, but to hear how the whole school here read it and how it turned out - it's overwhelming."

(click on the link above to read the entire article)

SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM.....

Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.

-- Daniel Webster

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"The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking."

-- English author A.A. Milne
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Never mistake activity for achievement.

-- John Wooden
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Chance favors only the prepared mind.

-- Louis Pasteur

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“Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking.”

-- Jim McMahon - Chicago Bears

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Gratuitous Beatles Reference:

Let It Be - Beatles (1970)