John Wooden

John Wooden, 1910-2010 (http://www.csmonitor.com ())

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish,"(John Quincy Adams). This quote once said by John Quincy Adams portrays an example of how John Wooden lived his life.At Purdue University, Wooden was named All-America Selection three times,while also being captain of the team in his junior year. After rejecting an offer to tour with the New York Celtics, he married his high school sweetheart Nellie Riley. The two later moved to Kentucky and started a family. There, Wooden started his career as an English teacher. In 1948, Wooden took over the basketball program at the University of California, Los Angeles. While coaching here, Wooden showed his players how to be disciplined, persistent, and determined. He is best known for leading the Bruins through an 88-game winning streak while also receiving 10 national titles earning his title of "The Wizard of Westwood." In 2010, John Wooden died of natural causes at the UCLA Medical Center still leaving his legacy for the World.("John Wooden" Biography). In spite of the fact that Wooden set high standards in N.C.A.A. history, he is also known for inspiring others. John Wooden is a hero because of how he inspired others and spread his knowledge to not only his players, but also to the rest of us.

John and his wife, Nellie Riley (http://jimdaly.focusonthefamily.com ())

While putting others' needs before his own, Wooden displayed a great example of a strong work ethic and being persistent. One thing he concluded was, "I believe in starting on time, and I believe in closing on time. And another one I had was, not one word of profanity. One word of profanity, and you are out of here for the day. If I see it in a game, you're going to come out and sit on the bench. And the third one was, never criticize a teammate. I didn't want that. I used to tell them I was paid to do that. That's my job. I'm paid to do it. Pitifully poor, but I am paid to do it. Not like the coaches today, for gracious sakes, no. It's a little different than it was in my day. Those were three things that I stuck with pretty closely all the time. And those actually came from my dad. That's what he tried to teach me and my brothers at one time," (Wooden). This shows how John Wooden was an inspiration to many because of the way he was raised. He also taught his players valuable skills for the future games, but also life in general. Without the guidance of his father, Wooden may have never taught these fundamental points. "He was known for reciting his father's "two sets of three" - "never lie, never cheat, never steal" and "don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses" - and a seven-point creed also passed along by his father,"(Luther). This portrays how Wooden addressed the attitude towards his players, showing them how to be positive and to give their best effort. When he does this his players recognize their actions, teaching them the right thing to do. Wooden tried his best of demonstrating at being persistent and showing his players what it was like to have a strong work ethic eventually pay off in the long run.

Wooden coaches the UCLA Bruins (http://articles.latimes.com ())

Beside the fact that Wooden is known for winning multiple games, he did not let that get in the way of teaching his players how to overcome obstacles off the court. To encourage this, Wooden often proclaimed: "Never try to be better than someone else, always learn from others. Never cease trying to be the best you can be -- that's under your control. If you get too engrossed and involved and concerned in regard to the things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect the things over which you have control," (Wooden). This shows how Wooden taught his players to work hard to win. However, he changed their focus on what they were winning for. Rather than winning to be better than everyone, he taught them to learn from the other teams. Many people believed: "He was known as unyielding in enforcing his own rules, many of which revolved around self-discipline."("John Robert Wooden."Gale). This shows how John Wooden had a great respect for team morals and values during his coaching career showing how he used inspirational sayings to encourage his players. Also, when his players witnessed him doing good, it made them have better and more positive mindset. John Wooden treated his players like his own children, leading the players in a sense of having someone who knew what was best for them and had their backs.

Wooden and a group of young athletes (http://southkansascityobserver.blogspot.com ())

John Wooden taught his players how to overcome obstacles in the future and inspired many with important lessons and teachings. He coached several seasons of basketball and at several different levels. John Wooden is a hero because he teaches the world many different skill sets and valuable life lessons. For example in the quote, "And I say to you, in whatever you're doing, you must be patient. You have to have patience too -- we want things to happen. We talk about our youth being impatient a lot, and they are. They want to change everything. They think all change is progress. And we get a little older -- we sort of let things go,"(Wooden). John Wooden has inspired me to learn from others and to always give your best in every situation. With John's patience and perseverance, he showed many an example of how to try their best and to always learn from others.

Works Consulted

"John Robert Wooden." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2001. Biography in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1650001998/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=c80c8a60.

Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.

Luther, Claudia. "Coach John Wooden, 1910-2010." UCLA Newsroom, 4 June 2010,

newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/john-wooden-dies-84109.

"John Wooden."Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 17 Oct. 2016,

www.biography.com/people/john-wooden-21369183

Wooden, John. "Transcript of 'The Difference between Winning and Succeeding.'" John

Wooden: The Difference between Winning and Succeeding | TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript | TED.com,  www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success/transcript?language=e

John Quincy Adams. "Patience and Perseverance Have a Magical Effect before Which        

Difficulties Disappear and Obstacles Vanish. ~ John Quincy Adams." Patience and Perseverance Have a Magical Effect before Which Difficulties Disappear and Obstacles Vanish. ~ John Quincy Adams, enlightea.blogspot.com/2010/10/patience-and-perseverance-have-magical.html.