John Wooden

Date of Birth:

14-Oct-1910

Nationality:

United States

Profession:

Coach

John Wooden, an American basketball coach who coached teams at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in the 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships in 12 seasons (1964-65, 1967-73, 1975). Most of his UCLA players become professional basketball stars, notably Lew Alcindor, Bill Walton and Gail Goodrich. At Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, Wooden, a guard, won All-America medals as a three-time basketball player (1930-32) and won the Western Conference medal for athletic and academic success. He cooked for high school basketball in Kentucky and Indiana before joining the US Navy in 1943. After World War II, where he worked as a physical education teacher, he was the head basketball coach and athletic director at Indiana State Teachers' College in Terre Haute from 1946 to 1948. He was appointed head coach at UCLA in 1948 and retired in 1975, with a record of 620 wins and 147 losses. His 40-year career record was 885 wins and 203 losses. John Wooden passed away June 4, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

AUTHOR DETAILS

John Wooden

Books by John Wooden

QUOTES BY John Wooden

“The best competition I have is against myself to become better.”

“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”

“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books – especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”

“You have to apply yourself each day to becoming a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better.”

“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”

“Talent is god-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

“The best competition I have is against myself to become better.”

“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”

“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books – especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”

“You have to apply yourself each day to becoming a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better.”

“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”