Controversial Coaches

John Wooden

Recent controversies involving two “big time” college football coaches (i.e. former head coach Mark Mangino at Kansas and former head coach Rick Leach at Texas Tech) again raise issues about what the leadership responsibilities of a coach are (of any sport at any level) and how they would be best served. My own background includes teaching varsity football and varsity basketball for thirteen years at two boarding schools in New England, then coaching the Pop Warner football teams and Little League baseball teams on which our three sons competed.

However, I am unqualified to discuss specific coaches, with one exception: John Wooden, retired head coach of the U.C.L.A. men’s basketball team. I met him at a high school basketball coaches’ conference at which he conducted two clinics. We became friends and maintained frequent contact for several years. I have since read all of the books written by or about someone who is, in my opinion, the greatest coach who ever lived. There are so many reasons. Here are two:

1. Although Coach Wooden’s U.C.L.A. teams won ten N.C.A.A. national championships in 12 years and his overall record during a 15-year period was 620-147, he never discussed or even used the word “winning.” The emphasis was always on character, on making personal sacrifices to support teammates, on sportsmanship at the highest level, and on conduct worthy of one’s religious faith (whatever it may be), family, and community.

2. He has lived throughout his entire life the values he learned in childhood and continued to affirm during his career as a player and coach. His attitude and behavior set an example when he was an all-state high school player and then an All-American at Purdue, one that remained the same throughout his life until now.

Note: He was born on October 10, 1910, and hopefully will celebrate his 100th birthday next October.

Yes, Coach Wooden led by example but he also had non-negotiable values to which he held everyone else as accountable as he did himself. Revealingly, he was never involved in or associated with controversy. For example, he never earned more than $35,000 a year as a coach at U.C.L.A. and never once asked for a raise. Much has been made about his greatness as a coach but, in my opinion, his greatest achievement was and remains his impeccable integrity.

As Coach Wooden so clearly demonstrates, great leaders are great teachers as well as an inspiration to those whom they feel privileged to serve.

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