COACH JOHN WOODEN, A COACHING LEGEND~ DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINNING AND TRUE SUCCESS

As an avid basketball sports fan, I have wondered how the UCLA basketball team went from being one of the weakest teams in the Pacific Conference to being THE BEST team with record wins that are still unmatched in the world of basketball today.

UCLA’s basketball program has the international reputation of being No. 1.  The major reason for that success was head coach, John Rupert Wooden.  As the Bruin’s head coach with the highest winning record in all of sport’s history and an unprecedented 10 NCAA championships, including seven consecutive wins from 1966-1973, he tells us the meaning of true success in his TED video with profound simplicity.

Why should we listen to him?

This speech is a road map for aiming higher, developing good character, setting standards, and tapping into inner strength.  His legacy resonates through his students, athletes and faculty, and now thanks to TED, it has reached over 844,645 more people.  In this inspiring talk, he shares the advice he gave his players at UCLA, quotes poetry and remembers his father's wisdom.

Coach Wooden redefined success and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves. He states, "success is not about medals or career wins. It is more about peace of mind and knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of being."  

He truly knew the difference between winning and success and profoundly explained that it is to never let others who did not see the outcome of the game be able to tell the results of the game from your behavior.  He transformed the UCLA team into the most accomplished team in history by encouraging them to never try to be better than someone else.  It is good to learn from others, but never cease being the best you can be because that’s under your control.  This explains how he was able to rally the team to unprecedented successes and accomplishments. 

I can truly relate to his passion for helping others to be the best they could be.  It is one of the main focuses of our program.  This speech has also helped me to have a deeper understanding of who he was and how he was able to accomplish these great feats.  Additionally, it has inspired me to implement in my organization a few of the rules he lived by and used in both teaching in the classroom and in sports:

1.              NEVER BE LATE ~ START & FINISH ON TIME

2.              BE NEAT & CLEAN ~HYGIENICALLY & CLOTHES

3.              NOT ONE WORD OF PROFANITY

4.              NEVER CRITICIZE A TEAMMATE

5.              DON’T WHINE

6.              DON’T COMPLAIN

7.              DON’T MAKE EXCUSES

8.              GET OUT THERE, AND WHAT EVER YOU ARE DOING, DO IT TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY!!

At the age of 99, Coach Wooden passed away on June 4, 2010.  I thank him for having lived such an inspiring life.  He truly had ideas worth sharing.

Resources

YouTube

Photo

UCLA Bruins

NCAA “DUMB-JOCK” OR “STUDENT-ATHLETE”?

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Diversity & Inclusion


The NCAA oversees 88 championships in 23 sports. There are more than 400,000 student-athletes competing in Divisions I, II and III at over 1,000 colleges and universities within the NCAA.


The late NCAA President, Myles Brand was dedicated to enhancing the academic environment and eliminating the phrase “dumb jock” from the American vocabulary, and emphasizing the phrase “student-athlete”, instead.  In 2005, he brought this idea into even sharper focus when he created the office of Diversity and Inclusion with the commitment to nurturing and encouraging this principle under his leadership.

One of the NCAA’s core values is to oversee competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to incorporate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount. 

Why does the NCAA believe so deeply in diversity and inclusion?  According to a recent joint report from the American Council on Education and the American Association of University Professors, they believe that diversity education “extends the meaning of personal, social and moral growth and improves the capacity of college and universities to achieve their missions.” (Harrison, 2010)

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Rules Enforcement

Another important program is the NCAA Enforcement Program.  The objective of this program is  to reduce violations of NCAA legislation and to impose appropriate penalties if violations occur. The program is committed to the fairness of procedures and to the timely and equitable resolution of infractions cases.

In Divisions I, II and III, the Committees on Infractions are composed primarily of individuals from NCAA member institutions. The committees are responsible for determining whether rules infractions occurred and, if so, what penalties should be applied. There are five members on the committee. At least one of the members is from the general public and is not associated with a college, professional sports organization or athletes in any way. The other members must be a staff member of an NCAA school or conference.

It is believed that the presence of both the Diversity & Inclusion and the Rules Enforcement programs in colleges and universities help to raise, rather than lower, academic standards. 

SOURCES

• All Division I (PDF)
• Eight-Year Trends in Federal Graduation Rates and Graduation Success Rates at NCAA Division I Institutions
• http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/about+the+ncaa