Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Even off court, legend is a teacher

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published December 7, 2005

John Wooden's voice filled the room, touched every ear and held each person's attention.

Even at 95, Wooden commands an audience the same way he did during his legendary 29-year basketball coaching career. His voice was clear and strong Tuesday, just like it was when he led UCLA to 10 NCAA championships.

"You can never stop learning from others," Wooden said during a teleconference call at the St. Pete Times Forum. "You learn when you read, you learn when you see things with your eyes, you learn when you hear."

Wooden, who was named coach of the 20th century by ESPN, spoke to local media to help the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Hillsborough School District launch a reading and character education program for 28,000 third- and fourth-graders.

The Lightning Foundation has built a curriculum around two books: Wooden's Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success and Tampa Bay Lightning Winning Ways: The Making of a Championship Heart.

The latter book was created by local lawyer Steve Yerrid and features photographs by team photographer Scott Audette from the Lightning's Stanley Cup season.

Both books stress the positive traits needed to build success, a topic synonymous with Wooden. Despite all his success on the court, including an 88-game winning streak, he always has seen himself more teacher than legend. Inch and Miles takes the principles Wooden instilled in his famous "Pyramid Of Success" and reduces them to a level kids can embrace.

"I started working on it in 1934, and I didn't complete it until 1948," Wooden explained. "It's a structure, and every structure needs a strong foundation with cornerstones as its anchors."

Wooden's cornerstones are hard work and enthusiasm. He notes that these days everyone is searching for a shortcut, an easy way, but there is really no replacement for hard work. He added that people can't expect to maximize their abilities with incorporating enthusiasm.

It's important to note that despite winning more than 84 percent of his games, Wooden's pyramid defines success as doing your best, giving your all and having happiness in your heart.

In many ways, Wooden's approach seems simple. Yet a lot of parents will tell you the tenets in the pyramid - friendship, loyalty, cooperation, fitness, poise, confidence - aren't being stressed enough in today's society. And they certainly seem to resonate when coming from a man of Wooden's stature.

"It's like talking to Yoda," said Peanut Louie Harper, in a separate interview. Harper is the former tennis pro who co-authored Inch and Miles with longtime Wooden collaborator Steve Jamison.

"I think all the schools who have taken on the book in their character education programs are so enthused about this and it strikes the same chord," she said. "It's good, old-fashioned values. If this can get it back in the forefront of what's important to kids, I think it can really make a difference."

Steve Vanoer concurs. As the supervisor of K-12 physical education and health for the school district, Vanoer got goose bumps listening to Wooden. A former coach, Vanoer certainly holds Wooden in high esteem, as do any of us who remember UCLA's dominant performances in the 1960s and '70s.

But what about today's kids? Can this MTV generation find favor with Wooden's wisdom?

"I know we have a lot of different things taking place today," Vanoer said. "But deep down, I think kids understand what's good and they just want to do the right thing."

The Lightning book uses quotes from players and coaches to stress many of the same principles Wooden extols.

Each elementary school in the county is receiving the curriculum and copies of the books for their media center. Vanoer explained that both books will allow physical education teachers to incorporate reading and education into their curriculum.

Lightning players will visit schools today to kick off the program. Tim Taylor will go to Hunter's Green Elementary, and Dan Boyle will go to Lee Elementary.

With today's bottom-line owners, big-money players and million-dollar bowl games, we often forget the true values of sports. It's high time we take steps to remind kids of why we play games, and there could be no better ambassador than Wooden.

That's all I'm saying.

Ernest Hooper can be reached at 813 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 7, 2005, 00:32:06]