Actually, the late great John Wooden did not care for the title, preferring to simply be called Coach.
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."
"Never mistake activity for achievement."
"Make each day your masterpiece."
Coach John Robert Wooden, 1910-2010
More after the jump.
Coach John Wooden passed today at the age of 99. Coach Wooden's long and remarkable life took him from humble small-town beginnings in Indiana to struggles and mediocre seasons in his early years at UCLA, and ultimately to a truly amazing string of triumphs with that program that will probably never be matched ever, by any coach, in any sport.
Always much more than a coach, Wooden saw college basketball as a way to help form extraordinary young men, and the accomplishments and contributions of his student-athlete alumni--both in and out of sports--are a testament to his ability to do much, much more than simply win a lot of basketball games.
A true gentleman of the old school, devout, humble and gracious, Coach Wooden was spry and active all the way into the 99th year of his life. The cynicism and money-grubbing and selfishness that are so much a part of sports today never touched or affected Coach Wooden. His life and his accomplishments remind us that sport can, on rare and wonderful occasions, transcend scores and outcomes and teach us something about life and about ourselves.
Rest in peace, Coach Wooden.
Update: another Kossack, Hamid Evrydey, has posted this diary where he does a nice job outlining Coach Wooden's approach to life and faith. Stop by and give it a read.