Saturday, June 5, 2010

R.I.P. John Wooden

John Wooden, former UCLA Men's Basketball coach and basketball icon, died last night at age 99. According to his family, he died of natural causes. Wooden, nicknamed the "Wizard Of Westwood", led UCLA to 10 national titles - including 7 in a row from 1967 to 1973. He won a total of 620 games, including 88 straight at one point. Wooden is arguably one of the most influential men in the history of the game of basketball, as he introduced an up-tempo style of play and stressed the need for team play over individual play. Wooden will perhaps be best remembered for his words of wisdom, many of which are now commonplace amongst the general population. For your reading pleasure, here are a sampling of them...

1. "Nothing will work unless you do."
2. "The athlete who says that something cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it."
3. "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
4. "I'd rather have a lot of talent and little experience than a lot of experience and little talent."
5. "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."
6. "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
7. "Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of being."
8. "Ability is a poor man's wealth."
9. "The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."
10. "You can't live a perfect day with doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

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