Coach Wooden Passes Away

Recently, we lost one of the best in John Wooden. He ranks as one of the greatest coaches and leaders of all-time. And he was probably one of the most influential coaches I had during my career and in my life still today. Better known for his 10 national titles in 12 years, Coach Wooden also was enshrined in the Hall of Fame as a player for his career at Purdue.

My college team ran the UCLA offense-- quite effectively I might add-- so I will always remember him for that. But mostly I will remember him for what he stood for, his approach to teaching his athletes about life as well as how to play the game.

I have an extensive quote collection. John Wooden may have the most quotes of anybody. Of his many quotes, I think my favorite is his definition of success. He wanted to define success in a way that went beyond winning and losing. He said,

"Success is a peace of mind that you get from knowing that you did the best you could with your given ability."

I like that. In the end, if you know that you did the best you could, you should be satisfied with that. So often winning and losing depends on so many factors, most of which are beyond any one person's control. Success is more than just winning.

In his 99 years, John Wooden accomplished many things. But the most important thing was that he lived his life in an honorable way.

Goodbye, Coach Wooden. Thank you.