"I Won't Know For 20 Years Or So"

I'm still basking in the warmth of my latest visit with my hero, Coach John Wooden. I remember vividly when I first heard the Coach talk about the "last game I ever taught," using a phrase that indelibly etched in my mind the idea that the most lasting and important achievements of a great coach are embedded in the character and conduct of his or her athletes.

I once had the occasion to interview the Coach for a short video and he said the coach whose philosophy he admired as much as any other was Amos Alonzo Stagg, a football coach at the University of Chicago when it was a national power. Coach Wooden tells the story that when Coach Stagg was asked if a particularly successful team was one of his greatest ever, Stagg said, "I won't know that for another twenty years or so." You see, Coach Wooden explained, Coach Stagg knew that it would take that long to see how the youngsters under his supervision turned out in life. Elsewhere, Coach Wooden has said, "That's how I feel. I'm most proud of the athlete who does well with his life. That's where success is. Basketball is just a very small part of it."

Very few coaches are remembered for single victories or for the records of their athletes. Some are remembered for a legacy of achievement and influence on their sport, but truly great coaches find impact and immortality in the lives of everyone they taught.

John Wooden never made more than $32,000 a year as a coach, but his impact on his players and all of sports is priceless.

Michael Josephson