Wooden’s Words of Wisdom

Beloved Hall of Fame Coach Shares Life Lessons with USC Journalism Students

Palisadian Jeff Fellenzer has spent many evenings in the company of legendary basketball coach John Wooden. But perhaps none have meant as much to him as last Wednesday night, when Wooden visited Fellenzer’s journalism class at the University of Southern California and shared three hours’ worth of the wisdom and knowledge that have made him one of the most beloved and respected figures in sports. “I was deeply touched by Coach Wooden’s generosity and his willingness to share so much of his time with my students,” Fellenzer said. “He stayed until he had signed everything that everyone had brought with them. John is like Bruce Springsteen in concert’he always delivers more than you could ever expect. He is an amazing person and I feel very blessed to be able to call him a friend.” Now 93 years young, Wooden is still as sharp as ever. He captivated over 200 students in USC’s Annenberg Auditorium with his thoughtful, witty and often profound answers to questions ranging from his coaching career to his life philosophy. Fellenzer started the class, titled “Sports, Business and Media in Today’s Society,” six years ago with former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Fred Claire and ever since Wooden has been at the top of the desired guest list. “I began incorporating some “Woodenisms” into my lectures last spring and the feedback I got from the class was incredible,” Fellenzer said. “Now, we call it our weekly Wooden. Well, this one is the ultimate weekly Wooden because he’s here in person.” Wooden coached UCLA to 10 national championships in 11 seasons, including seven in a row from 1967-73 and led the Bruins to 88 consecutive victories–an NCAA record that still stands. He is the first of only three men to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach and mentored countless NBA superstars, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich. Now Wooden is revered as much for what he has done off the court as for what his teams achieved on it. He has authored several books, the latest being a children’s story called “Inch and Miles,” published last fall, and his “Pyramid of Success” has become a model for coaches and teachers all over the world. Last summer, Wooden was invited to the White House, where President George Bush awarded him the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed upon a United States civilian. Though he spent the majority of his coaching career at USC’s crosstown rival, the man affectionately known as the “Wizard of Westwood” is nevertheless greatly respected by Trojan faithful and he was warmly received at a pre-class reception. One of the first to arrive and last to leave was USC head football coach Pete Carroll, whose team won a share of the national championship in January. Carroll was as excited to meet Wooden as anyone in the room. “That was quite a year you had,” Wooden said as the two shook hands. “But I wish you’d cut it out.” Carroll laughed, then told a story of how adopting Wooden’s principles has contributed to his success at USC. “I’ve read a whole bunch of books looking for any little edge I could find,” Carroll said to Wooden. “A few years ago, just before I accepted this job, a friend of mine gave me the blue book (“Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court”) and I remember getting to the part that says you won your first national title in your 17th year. I found myself thinking ‘I’m never going to last 17 years here.’ But reading your book changed how I prepared for this opportunity.” Wooden’s advice to Carroll on how to keep the Trojans on top? “Like the alumni will tell you–that was yesterday,” he said. “You can’t live in the past. You have to live for today because it’s the only day that matters. Close the door on yesterday and throw away the key.” Wooden said he is proud of current USC men’s basketball coach Henry Bibby, one of his former players at UCLA, and that the program would benefit from an on-campus basketball facility instead of an outside venue like the Sports Arena. In addition to teaching at his alma mater, Fellenzer is founder of the Pete Newell Challenge, a preseason college basketball tournament in Oakland named after the popular California coach. Wooden, in fact, considers Newell to be the best he ever coached against. “Some of you may remember Coach Wooden throwing out the first pitch before Game 2 of the World Series at Anaheim Stadium two years ago,” Fellenzer said in his introduction to the class. Turning to Wooden, he added: “I thought you threw a pretty good fast ball.” “Actually, it was a slider Jeff,” Wooden corrected. “It hit the ground and slid all the way to the catcher.” Andy Hill, ex-Bruin and former L.A. City Player of the Year at University High, accompanied his former coach to the event. “As a game coach, he was good,” Hill remembered. “But in practice, there has never been anyone better than Coach Wooden. That’s really where the games were won.” Hill sat amongst the students as Wooden discussed a myriad of topics, including his dislike of showmanship in today’s game. “If one of my players dunked the ball I’d have him out of there before his feet hit the floor,” he said. Of NBA rookie sensation Lebron James, Wooden said, “I never saw anyone like him in a high school all-star game since Oscar Robertson. I’d like to see his birth certificate because he looks like he’s 25. If he can keep his feet on the ground, he’ll be a great one.” However, Wooden fears players like James, and Kobe Bryant before him, might be setting a dangerous precedent. “I don’t like to see players leave college early or skip it entirely to turn professional,” he said. “It’s a mistake in the vast majority of cases because the lifestyle in the pros is completely different.” Wooden cited the “back door” and “screen and roll” as his favorite plays and named David Robinson and John Stockton as two of his favorite players to watch. At UCLA. Wooden expected his players to abide by three simple rules: don’t use profanity, be on time and never criticize a teammate. He prefers to think of a coach as a teacher because “that’s what a coach really is after all” and he said the key to becoming a great leader is humility, saying “A great leader doesn’t light a fire under his players, but within them.” Asked to name the accomplishment he is most proud of, Wooden did not cite one of the championships he won or an honor he has received. “I’m most proud that in 29 seasons coaching college basketball (two at Indiana State, 27 at UCLA) almost all of my players graduated. That should be the first priority of every college coach.”