Wooden a man for the game of life

Last week marked not only the official return of college basketball, but the 99th birthday of one of college basketball’s greatest ambassadors.

John Wooden is a rare exception to most coaches, who are simply remembered for their on-court achievements. Despite coaching UCLA to all but one of its 11 national championships, many would argue Wooden’s mark on the lives of others outnumber the Indiana native’s hoops accolades.

Wooden grew up 20 miles north of Bloomington in Martinsville, Ind., and has seen life, as well as athletics, from just about every possible angle. Wooden, who played at Purdue and led the Boilermakers to the 1932 national championship, left his mark in the United States Navy, the high school classroom and on the basketball court.

As an English teacher and coach of basketball, baseball and tennis at South Bend Central High School, Wooden began a career that would continue for more than 25 years.

The first team Wooden coached tallied a 6-11 record at Dayton High School, the first and only losing season Wooden would ever oversee from the bench.

The word “achievement” is used rather loosely when it comes to today’s athletic world. Academic shortcuts, lax behavioral standards and a lack of values were things for which Wooden had no patience.

This was epitomized in 1947, when Wooden turned down an invite to play in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament after his Indiana State team won the Indiana Collegiate Conference Championship.

His reasoning? The NAIA had a policy banning African-American players.

After leaving Terre Haute, Wooden embarked on unquestionably the most successful coaching tenure in the history of sports as he began his 27-year career as the head coach at UCLA.

Wooden has been named Basketball Coach Emeritus at UCLA, where he compiled a win percentage of .823. His .813 all-time win percentage is unparalleled in college basketball.

Wooden, who remains the only person inducted to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as both a player and coach, led teams regarded as some of the best ever in college basketball.

The Bruins went undefeated four times, won a record 10 championships from 1963-75 and recorded 19 conference championships. In spite of those national championships,“The Wizard of Westwood” takes the most pride in his teams’ dominating performance within the Pac-10. It’s not surprising considering the coach’s constant emphasis on little things.

One can argue whether or not someone has or will ever etch their name in both sports and society to the extent which Wooden did. ESPN’s “Greatest Coach of the 20th Century” has received a multitude of service accolades and authored books for adults and children alike.

The innovative “Pyramid of Success,” which details a five-step procedure to succeed in any aspect of life, has become a nationally renowned leadership model.

The Bruins named their home hardwood “Nell and John Wooden Court,” something Wooden would not allow unless his wife’s name was included and listed before his.

Wooden’s coaching style has taken a back seat to the profane-filled, win-at-all-costs philosophy. Nonetheless, Wooden has yet to be dethroned from the top, as it relates to hoops and life.

Rarely was there a person or factor that could prevent his teams from reaching the competitive pinnacle.

And, after 99 years, the “The Wizard of Westwood” is yet to be proven wrong.