The Original Kingdom Coach

The Original Kingdom Coach

 Coach John wooden lived from 1910-2010, for almost 100 years! One of the biggest blessings of my life is that I became friends with him, and often went to his home in Encino California to literally sit at his feet. During those times, I wrote many many bits of wisdom down in a book. I listened to him tell many stories. but mostly I just sat in his presence and witnessed the fruit of the spirit.  John Wooden was a man of very deep faith. So when I started reading the tributes to his life, I was disappointed that most of them did not include the truth that he was simply being like Jesus.

This week, instead of Chapter 6 of Jim's book, I hope you can read a biography or autobiography about Coach Wooden. He has so much to teach us that is so in line with how to coach in His kingdom. Did you ever read that poem or quote about "the dash?" Well, when I see the dash between 1920 and 2010 I marvel and I contemplate and I celebrate the life that he truly lived.

Coach John Wooden - he is the best of the best of the best! Thanks Coach! Let's pause this week to honor him.

My prayer is that we, as apprentices of Jesus and coaches of this great sport, can read and know what you knew, do what you did, and be who you were. And I am not talking about winning 10 championships!


Posted on Mon, June 7, 2010 by Jane Albright

5 comments (Add your own)

1. Nicole Anderson wrote:
Thank you for the recognition of Coach Wooden. I am a Bruin and I know that all of us who had the opportunity to play at UCLA understand that "Coach" made UCLA what it is. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to sit in Coach Wooden presence while at UCLA. I have only read and heard wonderful things from many friends who knew him and work with him. I did not that the faith Coach had was what was the most important thing in his life. His character and desire to be like Jesue inspires me to want to do more and be more like Jesus myself. Thank you for this wonderful form of fellowship I am so blessed by it weekly!

Mon, June 7, 2010 @ 11:05 AM

2. Paula Wiliams wrote:
I also had the opportunity to meet Coach Wooden because of Jane's generosity and I left his home with a resounding message. It is "Always be true to yourself." I took this from my time with Coach Wooden because he knew what he stood for and NEVER compromised being a devoted coach, husband and more than anything a follower of Jesus. He was the type of christian that I always value deeply because it was just who he was, never a show or a facade. He pointed many to Christ and never allowed pride to get the best of him, even with all he accomplished in the eyes of this world.
Coach Wooden inspired me to coach after reading his book, They Call Me Coach. I only pray that I can also use this profession to point many to Christ just like Coach Wooden.

Mon, June 7, 2010 @ 11:31 AM

3. Nancy wrote:
Jane,

I know how much you loved Coach Wooden. The neat thing was seeing how much he loved you. I bet he is telling your Dad and Mom that they raised a fine girl. Christians often say that they can quickly recognize a like-spirited person. I believe you and John Wooden recognized each other right away and that was the basis for the mutual admiration society that you shared.
Thank you Jesus-one more time.
Nancy

Mon, June 7, 2010 @ 11:34 AM

4. Elizabeth Curry wrote:
As with Jane, I marvel and celebrate Coach Wooden's "dash." It is a short word and a small symbol, but, when speaking of Coach Wooden's dash, there are not enough words or enough "space." For those of you who are looking for a book to read on Coach Wooden, I strongly recommend "Coach Wooden's Pyramide of Success: Building Blocks For A Better Life." (2005). I got ahold of a copy through FCA while at the University of Tennessee, and it remains one of the best books in my "coaching library." To give you an accurate description, below is quoted directly from the back of the book:

"Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden and Jay Carty know that success is an equal oopportunity player - anyone can achieve it. Based on John Wooden's own method to victory, Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success reveals that achievement is built block by block, with each block being a crucial principle contributing to lifelong success in every area of life. Each of these 27 daily readings takes an in-depth look at a single principle, which when combined with other principles forms the structure of the Pyramid of Success.

Join John Wooden and Jay Carty to discover the building blocks and key values - from confidence to faith - that have brought Coach to the pinnacle of success as a leader, a teacher, and a follower of God."

Mon, June 7, 2010 @ 1:09 PM

5. janeygal wrote:
thanks to all of you for the comments you made....and the suggestions on what to read about him...its so awesome that we all have our favorite sayings that he said....they are all so true....there will never be another one like him!

Fri, June 18, 2010 @ 7:50 PM

Add a New Comment

Enter the code you see below:
code
 

Comment Guidelines: No HTML is allowed. Off-topic or inappropriate comments will be edited or deleted. Thanks.