John Wooden

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John Wooden once said, "Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."(Wooden)  Who would have known this quote would have become famous, or an ordinary guy who loved the game of basketball could have changed the world and its perspective on life. On October 14, 1910 John Wooden was born in Hall, Indiana. John is known most for his outstanding coaching record. He had an 88 game winning streak, 38 straight NCAA Tournament wins, and 19 conference championships. To top that, John combined has won 664 games with the 4th highest winning percentage 804.(John Wooden EBSCO) Coach Wooden did not only focus on getting his players to perform and play basketball, he made sure that his players had great character on and off the court. A hero must possess leadership and motivation. Leadership is when a person who guides or directs a group. Motivation is when a person stimulates a person's interest or enthusiasm for doing something. John Wooden possesses leadership and motivation making him a hero. 

John Wooden is a hero, because he was a leader in everything he did in life, whether it was coaching, or just being a regular citizen. Mr. Wooden knew he wanted to make a difference in people's lives. So he did everything possible to get people to be the best they could be. "In my view, what it was that he did to teach leadership - and it's not complicated - was he behaved like a leader. He acted like a leader. The primary teaching tool he used was his own life as an example," Jamison said. ( Dobbs)  Coach knew what he wanted to do. It was to teach the world about the hardships and adventures of life, and how to handle them. How life was going to be hard, but we shouldn't let it get the best of us. Coach led example, by learning from his own life lessons. The way Mr. Wooden decided to teach others, is not something normal people would think of. He wanted to tell other people that yes he also made mistakes, but he didn't tell his stories for no reason. The main reason he told his stories was to have people learn from his mistakes, so they don't make the silly mistake he made.There are some people in the world who love their job more than anything. John was one of them. Wooden always described his job as teacher, not coach. "He broke basketball down to its basic elements," Abdul-Jabbar wrote in The New York Times in 2000. "He always told us basketball was a simple game, but his ability to make the game simple was part of his genius."( Nestor)  A leader is someone who strives to make other people better, they don't put themselves first. John Wooden is the first person I think of when I feel like giving up, or I can't get a simple basketball move down. If John Wooden were my coach, he would probably find something to get me back on track and not quit. It is people like him that make this world a better place to live in and why we have such amazing leaders in this world.  When people wake up in the morning, it is usually to get up for work. Some people drag to work dreading the day ahead of them because they do not love their job. As for John it was a different story. John was always learning, he had so much passion for what he did he loved his job. John Wooden was a leader because he pushed everyone to their limits, he put everyone before himself. He treated his players with love and saw lots of great potential in all of them.

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John Wooden is a hero because he was a mentor that motivated many people to be the best that they can be. Coach Wooden knew it was not going to be easy getting to people to push to their limits. But he had to try everything. Character, however, is never a quality to be shelved. Coach Wooden, as Jamison said, "Didn't seek players who were characters. He wanted players who had character. Character was something that he felt essential to being a good performer, a good leader. Most of the problems we see today we can attribute to leaders who have little character." ( Dobbs ) John Wooden saw character as a big attribute on his team. It was a characteristic he enforced in all his players. He had a strong opinion on good character, and made sure that his players had much of it. Coach saw character before talent. He may have picked the players with less talent with good hearts and character, over a player with more talent than character, but he knew in the long run that he could form a better team with character. Sometime motivation is something that people lack, and it destroys their confidence. John Wooden didn't let that happen to anyone, he motivated people to be the best that they could be.  "Earn the right to be proud and confident." (Wooden)  If you work hard and you love what you have done take pride in it. You worked so hard to get where you are at why be afraid to show people who you really are! This is motivation to be the best you can be and to only be the true you. No one should tell you how to do things, it's your life and you should do things the way you want to do them. Motivation is a big key to confidence. John motivated his players will all his power, whether it was in fatherly form or in a coach form. Wooden got his players to be the best that they could be, and strive for what really mattered. That is why he is known to be such an amazing coach, and a winner.

In my eyes, being a hero takes a lot of characteristics. But two that most stand out to me is leadership and motivation. John Wooden possessed both of these during his coaching career, making him one of the best coaches out there. Coach John Wooden has inspired me to be the best that I can be, and don't stop chasing my dreams. A quote that from John that really inspired me is, "It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it." (Wooden) This is inspirational to me because it is very self-explanatory. It does not matter who starts anything, it is the person who gives it a 100% all the time and finishes it. Finishing is the most rewarding thing, because you have accomplished something with great ability, and you might not have known you could have done it. I like this quote from John Wooden himself, because when I play basketball I realize that it doesn't matter who is in the starting five. It is the people who finish the game strong to get the win. And that is the most rewarding feeling. John also inspires me because he taught people that there is no such thing as failure, as long as you don't let failure get to you. "If you are afraid to fail, you will never do the things you are capable of doing. If you have thoroughly prepared and are ready to give it all you've got, there is no shame if you fail-nothing to fear in failure. But fear of failure is what often prevents one from taking action."(Wooden) With this quote I am not afraid to fail. I know that I can only get better, and do things to my best ability. This quote gives me the strength to believe in what I want to do and put my heart into it. I set the sky as the limit, and let nothing hold me back. When I fall I know that I can only pick myself up and try again. There is no option in giving up or failing. They will never get to me. John Wooden has left an amazing mark on this world. Even though he is no longer physically on this earth, his words, actions, and lessons are still heard and passed on. He has left such an impact on me, as a person and a basketball player. One day I hope to be as great of a leader as Coach John Wooden. Never forget John Wooden.

Works Consulted

Dobbs, Corry. "Leadership Lessons from John Wooden." Leadership Lessons from John

Wooden. National Federation of State High School Associations, n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.

"John Wooden." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 20 May 2014.

John Wooden's Greatest Quotes." ESPN.com. ESPN Men's Basketball, 4 June 2010. Web. 08 May 2014

Walton, Bill, and Steve Jamison. "The Official Site of Coach John Wooden | Sponsored by McDonalds |     Powered by UnCommon Thinking. McDonald's All American Games, n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.

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