John Wooden Biography

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John Wooden What makes you a great man? Is it what you do or what you have done? Or is it how you live and the many lives that you influence? John Wooden was in every aspect the definition of a great man. Early Life Born October 14, 1910, into a rough and rugged childhood John Wooden gained most of his mannerism from his father. When asked in an interview from the Academy of Achievement what it was like growing up in the 1920’s, John Wooden said “I grew up on a farm. We lost that in the depression the year I was a freshman.”Wooden said of the farm “there was no running water, no electricity and practically everything we ate we grew”. It was not until this interview that John Wooden realized how extremely difficult it must have been…show more content…
Before the spotlight, John Wooden began teaching at the high school level. He was also a lieutenant during World War II. After the war Wooden coached at Indiana State University before taking the head coaching job at UCLA.”Coaching at UCLA is what really made John Wooden a lasting fame”, says former player Bill Walton at the funeral of John Wooden.”Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of being”. Back when John graduated grammar school his father placed upon him a seven point creed. Be true to yourself, help others, drink deeply from good books, build a shelter against a rainy day, pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings each day. Wooden was a very enlightened man not only did he have very spiritually based character but a love for poetry as well. “My father used to read to us all the time in the evenings. He read the Bible everyday and insisted we did the same” said Wooden in an interview. “There wasn’t a television for us to watch. There was not a radio to speak of. We didn’t have it.” John Wooden became college basketball’s most successful coach, earning the nickname the wizard of Westwood and enduring a place in sports…show more content…
With Al cindor in the middle the Bruins won three consecutive championships.It is proven that John Wooden has created a sports dynasty to which all others are compared, but not close to the achievements of the wizard of Westwood. Wooden’s UCLA teams won 10 national championships out of the 12 they appeared in. This is the most successful record that any coach could dream of having. Four of Wooden’s teams had a perfect season finishing up with undisputed records of 30-0 including his first championship team. On this team there were no starters that stood over the height of 6’5” but over the years his teams became bigger faster and more powerful than

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