I love to see American's do great things, and it doesn't matter to me in what field it is in...music; sports; medicine; entertainment, etc.  I love to see how they got there, and what obstacles they had to
overcome to get there, etc.

"We can't all be heros, because somebody has to sit on the curb to clap as they go by." Will Rogers

Like most American's, I like to watch an occasional college basketball game, but this piece is not, necessarily, about the game of basketball.  It's about education; inspiration and winning...and winning in the game of life, too!  For, if you get your education...you have more chances of winning in life...as opposed to not getting your education and losing out! 

 My hero happens to be a basket coach, by the name of John Wooden, who coached the U.C.L.A Bruins for many years!  And, the record of this man is nothing short of incredible!  Astonishing, would be more like it!  It is said that records are made to be broken...but I don't think the records of John Wooden are going to be broken any time soon...at least not in my lifetime, etc.

Of the major sports...I cannot comment on the sport of ice hockey, because I have never been a fan of ice hocky.  But, of the other major sports...that is...football (Super Bowl); baseball (World Series); Pro Basketball; the Indy 500 race, whereby the mechanics play a major role on the team...I think the most difficult title to win is the college basketball title.

Pro football has 32 teams; baseball has about the same; Indy racing has 33 drivers at Pole time; and in college basketball, has over 300 college teams at the beginning of the season, competing for the NCAA Championship!  So, needless to say, there's a lot of competition in college basketball, to go all the way to the top, and to win the title,etc.

Another reason why the college basket title is so hard to win, is that there is a constant turn-over of players graduating in college, and therefore, much more difficult to replace the players.  In baseball; football; racing; and pro basketball, there are players/racers who can go on for five...ten..and 15 years!  Not so in college basketball!  That's another reason that makes John Wooden's record so much more incredible!

Let's look at John Wooden's record at U.C.L.A.  Over the years, his teams have won TEN...count them...TEN National Titles and seven in a row!  This is an amazing accomplishment!  That's like winning TEN Superbowls (7 in a row); TEN World Series (7 in a row); TEN Indy 500 races (7 in a row).  Nobody in college coaching even comes close...Adoph Rupp of Kentucky has won four Titles; Bobby Knight (retired) and Coach K of Duke have won three each! 

"A hero is one that does what he can, so that others don't."  Romaine Roland

Before I continue...let me compare the difference in Pro basketball and college basketball, and in which coaches Red Aurerbach and Phil Jackson have both won nine NBA Titles.  A big difference is that players in the NBA can play with each other for years...five, ten and even 15 years together!  Most players in the NBA are millionaires and the coach doesn't have to worry about school work and graduating his players, which means less turnover...less worry...less to produce, etc. 

Whereas, in college basketball, there is constant school work; constant graduation and a change of players every year.  And, that's why John Wooden's record is so remarkable...he has won National Titles with short players; tall players; White players; Black and White players; orange players...he won with the players that showed up, and made them into great students and players!

In 1966, I got the opportunity and the honor of seeing my hero at work, here in Albuquerque (where I live) at the quarter-finals of the NCAA basketball tournment.  I was in awe, when the U.C.L.A team took the floor that day, and John Wooden took his place on the bench.  Unlike other coaches, who scream and yell and cuss at the officials, John Wooden just sat there quietly, throughout the game, and let his team do its magic!  U.C.L.A went on to win the game, and went on the win yet another National championship later that year! 

John Wooden has more "Coach of the Year," honors than you have fingers to count them on!

The most memorable of games, that I can remember, came in 1968, and I don't remember another sporting event (in basketball) that can top this one.  Back in those days, there were two national polls that rated the teams...the coaches poll and the sports writers poll.  That year, U.C.L.A was ranked number one by the coaches poll; and Huston was rated number one by the writers poll.  The question that year, was which team was really the number one team?  The only way that could be determined, was to play each other...and play each other they did!

Both teams were undefeated at the time (30-0) and both teams would meet each other in the game that was billed as, the game of the century, to be held in the Astrodome, before 55,000 fans and a national television audience!  In 2009 and since that time, I have never seen a basketball event bigger than this one!  An amazing match-up as U.C.L.A. was led by Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and Houston was led by the "Big E" Elvin Hayes.  Houston won the game, but U.C.L.A went on to win yet another national championship later on that year!  An amazing sporting event! 

"The ability to accept victory graciously and take defeat without bitterness, is what makes heros."  Unknown

What makes John Wooden so different, is the fact that he is also a school teacher as well.  He has a Masters degree in English, and he has always put the education of his players first, and basketball second.  If his players didn't do their homework...they didn't play!    His teams always had consistantly high percentage of graduation rates among his players in the country!  These are a few of the reasons that make John Wooden so special, etc.

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