John Wooden

            Who has been an inspiration to you? This week I took a look at TED.com. TED is a website that allows viewers to see performances and talks for free. The objective is to spread ideas. John Wooden is one of the many speakers that have multiple talks on TED. One speech that really hit home was John Wooden's speech on success. John Wooden is an important part of what sports is today. ESPN has named John Wooden the best coach among all sports.  He has been praised as a player, coach and a speaker.

John Wooden attended Perdue University in Pennsylvania. He played basketball and was known for being fearless and having astounding speed. After graduation Wooden was offered a spot on the Boston Celtics. He declined this offer to become a teacher. After becoming a teacher he began to coach sports.  John Wooden went on to become to the UCLA Bruins coach in 1948. When he started they were considered the weakest team in the division. John Wooden led the team to an undefeated perfect season in 1964. It was the same year that the Bruins were successful is winning the NCAA championship. John Wooden went on to win many championships. He was the first person to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.

John Wooden has many achievements that should be honored, but I think that the most important is his role as leader. He was a leader through his teaching and coaching. He showed his teams values and taught them life lessons. In his speech Coach John Wooden talked about his definition of success and he also showed the importance of values and life lessons. John Wooden created his own definition of success that he used as a teacher and coach. He said, “Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you're capable.” John Wooden knew that not every player was capable of the same success. He wanted his players to play to the best of their ability and to continue to improve. Wooden wanted his players to have the highest level of success.

He wanted his players to be successful on and off the court. To do this he told his players that school needed to come first since they were there to get an education. Second came basketball and social activities followed. This was important because he taught his players values. This was continued in his rules as a coach. John Wooden had three important rules that no one broke. The first was being on time. He expected his players to be on time and in return his players knew they were never going to be held over. Second the players were not allowed to use profanity. This would get them a place on the bench or thrown out of practice. He also didn’t want players criticizing teammates. John Wooden wanted his team to be successful.

Coach John Wooden’s speech on success showed the impact he had as a coach, teacher and a speaker. John Wooden is an inspiration. He has shown a true understanding of success. His players worked hard and were able to achieve their individual level of success. John Wooden is a legend that will forever be remembered.