Friday night, former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden died at the age of 99, four months short of his 100th birthday. While at UCLA, Wooden guided the Bruins to 10 NCAA titles in 12 years, a feat unheard of and completely unmatched. Additionally, he was the first person to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach. As a player, he led his Purdue Boilermakers to the NCAA title in 1932. Coach Wooden stayed connected in college basketball circles and was highly-esteemed by everyone. The elderly Wooden retained the characteristic twinkle in his eyes even in later years. Though he was quiet about his Christian beliefs, he certainly wasn’t silent about them, stating that if he was accused of being a Christian, he wanted to ensure there was enough evidence to be convicted! Here are some of his quotations over the years:
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
“You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
“Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.”
“Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
"I have always tried to make it clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior."
After the announcement of Wooden’s death, I thought of this verse:
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Matthew 25:20-21
I love how this verse fits into the life of John Wooden, being that there are five players on a basketball team. Yet it doesn’t just take the starters to win a collegiate championship! God may have given Wooden the first five players. Yet through his hard work, teaching skills and most importantly, the way he loved his players with the love of the Lord, Wooden had players on the bench better than the starters of most teams! Wooden’s wife died in 1985 of cancer and every month since then, on the 21st of the month, he wrote a love letter to her and carried it to her grave. Now, he has been reunited with her, but more importantly, with his Savior!
Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord! I’m looking forward to meeting you in eternity, Coach!
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