John Adams Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/reillygofish Three weeks ago, I spent an afternoon in his Encino condo, which must be one of the most amazing 1500 of square feet in all of Los Angeles. His Presidential Medal of Freedom hangs next to one from the local YMCA. His letter from Mother Teresa hangs near his great grand daughter's report card. There are far more signed baseballs (his favorite sport) than basketballs, and nearly as many books about Abraham Lincoln (his hero) than there are jellybeans (his weakness.)
stuckincincy Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/reillygofish Thanks - folks like Wooden come along now and then, to our betterment.
bdelma Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 Unbelieveable man and great coach. I bet all of his former players like Bill Walton, Keith Wilkes and Marques Johnson have stopped by to visit.
ricojes Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 Saw him interviewed on ESPN this morning. I am too young to have had the pleasure to watch those teams he coached. But actually, I was just talking about him at the Bills tailgate this weekend with some guys. And they weren't sure how great of a basketball coach he was, strictly from an x's and o's perspective, just because UCLA back in that era was the place to be. No recruiting necessary, all the talent was lined up. They were stacked with the best players year after year. But still a lot of coaches might not have been as successful, even with all that talent. His character and ability to manage ego's probably went a long way with those teams. He just sounds like an all around good guy.
Nervous Guy Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 His 3 main rules for his players are awesome: Always be on time. Never use profanity. Never criticize a teammate. oh...and 88 straight wins? I don't care if you're stacked or not, that's pretty freakin impressive.
Chef Jim Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 His 3 main rules for his players are awesome: Always be on time. Never use profanity. Never criticize a teammate. oh...and 88 straight wins? I don't care if you're stacked or not, that's pretty freakin impressive. Step number 1: How to put on your shoes and socks.
Tcali Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 His 3 main rules for his players are awesome: Always be on time. Never use profanity. Never criticize a teammate. oh...and 88 straight wins? I don't care if you're stacked or not, that's pretty freakin impressive. love those 3 rules
buffaloaggie Posted June 4, 2010 Posted June 4, 2010 About to lose a great one... Wooden in grave conditon God bless the Wizard of Westwood
boyst Posted June 4, 2010 Posted June 4, 2010 About to lose a great one... Wooden in grave conditon God bless the Wizard of Westwood John Wooden is a wonderful human being. I hope he goes peacefully. I cannot stand UCLA but Wooden is the best and will always be the best.
C.Biscuit97 Posted June 4, 2010 Posted June 4, 2010 I saw a story on him that his wife is the only woman he has ever kissed. When she passed away over 20 years ago I believe, he still writes her a letter every day. Great man who has led a great life. I only wish I had coaches that were a fraction as good as him.
John Adams Posted June 4, 2010 Author Posted June 4, 2010 I only wish I had coaches that were a fraction as good as him. He's an ideal. Good to have a few in our midst to remind us what's possible. If he passes, next week's Rick Reilly will be a tear jerker to end 'em all. He loves the guy.
John Adams Posted June 9, 2010 Author Posted June 9, 2010 Not a tear jerker but well done. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5260677 The awful thing about knowing John Wooden was that when you left him, you realized how weak you were as a man. Every time I left his little 700-square-foot condo in Encino, Calif., full of books and learning and morals, it would hit me how far short of him I fell. He made me want to be more principled. This is a man who once turned down the Purdue head-coaching job because he felt the university was treating the fired coach "terribly. I wouldn't stand for it." He once turned down the Minnesota job he and his wife, Nell, wanted -- and accepted the UCLA one instead -- because Minnesota hadn't called with its offer by the 6 p.m. deadline he'd set. Turns out a storm had knocked down the phone lines. Didn't matter. He went to UCLA and won the Bruins 10 NCAA titles. No other coach has won more than four.
The Poojer Posted June 9, 2010 Posted June 9, 2010 Jabbar and Walton on Wooden on Mike and Mike this morning.... they are below the picture of Jabbar in the Show in Review section Unbelieveable man and great coach. I bet all of his former players like Bill Walton, Keith Wilkes and Marques Johnson have stopped by to visit.
Beerball Posted June 9, 2010 Posted June 9, 2010 Not a tear jerker but well done. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5260677 A magnificent man, but he either moved in the time between the article linked in '09 and his death or his condo shrunk.
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