We remember him for his 10 national championships and the jaw-dropping array of talent he was able to attract and coach. Yet, his legacy is larger than basketball. Here is a man who exemplified every value we want to learn as men and every value we want to teach to our children. These values worked for Wooden (and are still working at age 98) from his small-town upbringing in Indiana to Los Angeles.
As a great teacher and motivator, Coach Wooden has done us all the immense favor of putting this value system on one piece of paper. It's called the "Pyramid of Success," and it deserves our careful study.
There are two pieces of the pyramid that stand out to me. The first is his definition of success: "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable."
The second is one of his 12 lessons of leadership: "Make each day your masterpiece."
Coach Wooden is also our brother in Christ and he's never been shy about proclaiming this fact. He knows creating masterpieces depends on close contact with the Master.
I highly recommend you dig into the wealth of teaching the coach has given us. You can start on his website, http://www.coachwooden.com/. Then, take a look at his books. My favorites are:
"Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections" - Collected quotes on a variety of subjects.
"Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life" - Covers each block of the pyramid. This would be a great book to take a small group through.
"Coach Wooden One-On-One" - This is a 60-day devotional and is wonderful to use with your daily quiet times with God.
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