John Wooden was born only 19 years after the game of basketball was invented and went on to become arguably the greatest college basketball coach of all time. His coaching feats — most notably leading the UCLA Bruins to 10 NCAA championships in 12 years, including seven in a row from 1967 to 1973 — probably will never be repeated.
Now 95 years old, Coach Wooden has not lost his love for the game. This month he’ll watch March Madness as he has for most of his life. But as he follows the road to the Final Four each year, the revered coach sees more in a game of hoops than most.
“Sports not only holds a place of importance in my heart, it holds a place of unparalleled significance in our culture,” John says. “But while some suggest the game develops character, I’m more inclined to say that sports [including basketball] reveals character.”
Coach, as his former players still call him, has had many years to refine and reflect on his philosophies of leadership and achievement. He has written several books on the subjects, including Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Through the tests of time, character and success in life still matter more to John than his legendary success on the court.
“There is only one kind of a life that truly wins, and that is the [life of] one who places faith in the hands of the Savior,” he says. “Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere. Material possessions, winning scores and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are. That is all that matters.”
Love of the Game
John discovered his love for basketball early in life. He was born in Martinsville, Ind., in 1910 just as the game’s popularity was sweeping the United States. (Basketball itself was invented by James Naismith in 1891 in a Springfield, Mass., YMCA.) As an 8-year-old, John stuffed rags in his mother’s stockings and shot his “ball” at a tomato basket his father had nailed to a wall in their barn.
As a teenager, John led his high school basketball team to an Indiana state championship. Later, the Purdue University Boilermakers won the 1932 national championship thanks to John’s accurate shot and disciplined play. John was named College Player of the Year.
John played pro ball for seven seasons after college, but his love for the game fully blossomed in his role as a coach. From 1948 to 1975 he courted unparalleled success as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. Though other coaches have totaled more career wins, no one has matched the dominance of John’s teams. You want to talk dynasty? During John’s coaching years, the Bruins set records with four perfect 30-0 seasons, 88 consecutive victories, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories, 20 Pacific-10 Conference championships and, of course, the 10 national titles.
Love of a Woman
As much as John loves basketball, he loved his wife far more. Nellie was his high school sweetheart, and the two wed in 1932 after John’s graduation from Purdue. It was a marriage, marked by storybook commitment and romance, that lasted until Nellie’s death in 1985.
“In my marriage to Nellie,” John says, “I learned how important it is to find peace in yourself so that you can overlook the flaws in others. My marriage also taught me how to work through misunderstandings. The devotion I had for my wife allowed me to overcome all kinds of obstacles.”
Even though it’s been 21 years since Nellie lost her lengthy battle with cancer, John continues to honor her memory by writing a letter each month.
“In each letter I express my love and confess how much I miss her,” John says. “I also chronicle the activities of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
Love of God
Although John can’t point to a moment when he fully surrendered his life to Christ, he knows when it didn’t happen. As a 17-year-old he went forward at church, simply going through the motions in order to please his sweetheart.
“I did it for Nellie and my folks,” John admits. “But it wasn’t real. I didn’t know Jesus as my personal Savior at that time.”
The coach credits his wife as being his primary influence in developing a deeply personal and authentic faith. By consistently living out her faith and insisting that John go to church with her, Nellie eventually saw her husband give his heart to Jesus in slam-dunk surrender.
John’s spiritual commitment greatly impacted his life work.
“There’s no way I can fully describe how my faith in Christ has influenced the way I coached,” John says. “It gave me an inner serenity in the face of stressful situations. It also motivated me to treat my players and colleagues with a degree of understanding that was beyond my natural ability. By learning to accept people and circumstances I didn’t fully agree with, I was able to act in ways I wouldn’t later regret.”
John continues to accept speaking engagements across the nation each year. Although he hasn’t coached collegiate ball for 31 years, John hasn’t forgotten how to differentiate between winning on the court and winning in life.
