April 3, 2006

John Wooden’s Legacy

I realize I run the risk of raising the ire of Florida students and alumni but I’ll admit that I’ll be cheering for the UCLA Bruins in tonight’s national championship game. After all, we’re located in Los Angeles and I’ve taken graduate business classes on campus so I’m a quasi-alumnus of the school.

Just as Flordia has a storied tradition in football, UCLA has one in hoops. I find the legacy of John Wooden to be one of the most remarakable in all of pro sports. I had the chance to catch a few of the interviews with UCLA and LSU coaches and players before Saturday’s Final Four games and it’s amazing how much of the conversation focused on UCLA’s past championship teams and its legendary coach despite the fact that we’re more than three decades removed from Wooden’s last title.

If you’re interested in learning more about John Wooden and how his unique philosophy towards basketball and life has inspired so many people, I’d encourage you to check out some of the Wooden-related titles we have here on LearnOutLoud:

Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court – A great audiobook narrated by Beau Bridges.

John Wooden: Values, Victory, and Peace of Mind – A DVD that gives an overview of Wooden’s philosophy.

Powertalk interview with Tony Robbins – An interview of Coach Wooden conducted by Tony Robbins.

It’ll be a fun game to watch tonight and regardless of who wins both teams have had amazing seasons and should be proud of how far they’ve gotten.