Not Spurs Related: John Wooden in Grave Condition

[Kori Ellis]

It's so sad to me to hear that John Wooden isn't doing well. He's in the hospital in grave condition at UCLA Med Center. As a UCLA alum, I had the privilege to hear him speak many times on campus. What a wonderful coach/leader/man.

If this is it for Wooden, he had 99 good years.:toast But I'm praying that he gets well.

(No trolling in this thread .. thanks)

[duncan228]

:( Sad news. What an incredible man. I wish him and his family the best.

[Solid D]

Prayers for John, his family, and his extended "family" of students & friends.

[Blackjack]

Just an amazing man and an incredible career. The guy's been complete class and the world and this game are better off for his contributions.

I haven't been keeping up with his condition recently but this really does come as somewhat of surprise, which is a testament to how sharp and alert he had been for a 90-plus-year-old.

I wish him and his family all the best and hope he finds a way to pull through to see his one-hundredth birthday. If this is the end though, I hope that there is indeed a reunion with Nell in store.

G.O.A.T is thrown around much too often; not when it's used in conjunction with Mr. Wooden.

[DMX7]

Wooden is a true class act. Probably the greatest coach in any sport ever.

[Solid D]

"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."

"The people who turn out best are those people who make the best out of the way things turn out."

"Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."

"You can’t live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

"It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit."

"Discipline yourself and others won't need to."

"The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

"Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time"

"Be quick, but don't hurry."

"Listen if you want to be heard"

"Never make excuses. Your friends don't need them and your foes won't believe them."

"The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones."

"Remember this your lifetime through:
Tomorrow there will be more to do.
And failure waits for all who stay
With some success made yesterday.
Tomorrow you must try once more,
And even harder than before."

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?"

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

"Being average means you are as close to the bottom as you are to the top."

"The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching."

"Your reputation is what you're perceived to be,
Your character is what you really are"

"Tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember a story."

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

"Happiness begins where selfishness ends."

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today."

"There is nothing stronger than gentleness."

"Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life."

"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. "

"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."

"If I were ever prosecuted for my religion, I truly hope there would be enough evidence to convict me."

"Although there is no progress without change, not all change is progress."

"Ability may get you to the top, but character will keep you there."

"Things turn out best for those who make best of how things turn out."

"Failing to plan is planning to fail."

"You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you"

"If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier."

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

"Don't let what you cannot do interfer with what you can do."

"Never mistake activity for achievement."

"We are many, but are we much?"

"Make each day your masterpiece."

"Five years from now, you're the same person except for the people you've met and the books you've read."

— John Wooden

[Big P]

:(

[duncan228]

Thanks for the quotes Solid D. Wonderful words to take to heart.

[Udokafan05]

Good Luck to him

[spurs10]

Thank you for the powerful quotes. He is an easy man to admire. Best regards to Mr. Wooden.

[JMarkJohns]

My friend via email an hour ago...
"Confirmed. John Wooden has passed away. What a great man he was. Coached his players the right way both on and off the court."

His sister works for UCLA. I'm hoping its misinformation, but this was post all the rumors and was from an actual source. My guess is they were waiting to announce until the Lakers/Celtics game was finished. Hope I'm wrong. I greatly admired him, and have spent a long time rewatching his classic games and reading his book and stories on him. As Solid D posted, his thoughts on sports and life are transcendent and he was easily the most significant sports figure of the last 50 years, maybe even 100 years.

[Biggems]

I hope he passes swiftly and painlessly.....he has given so much to the world and to the game of basketball. it is time for him to rest and relax for all eternity.

Thank you Coach Wooden and God Bless

[baseline bum]

Sucks to hear. Wooden's an awesome guy, and used to come on campus pretty often to sign autographs for the fans at Ackerman. Good luck, Mr. Wooden.

[mytespurs]

I live in LA & just hearing this news! :(

John Wooden is a treasure-I was a big fan of UCLA during his reign though I lived on the east coast. He is a legend & a class act.

My thoughts are with him and his family.

[JMarkJohns]

I keep hearing reports of his passing are erroneous. I hope my friend is wrong with his info.

[samikeyp]

Still the best basketball coach in LA. :)

I hope is ok but if its his time and he won't suffer then the Lord should welcome him.

His passing will truly mark a sad day in the history of sport.

[FromWayDowntown]

Very sad news. I've been impressed in recent years with Coach Wooden's well being, given his age. Even with the inevitability of a decline in his health, the thought of him passing seems almost far-fetched. Here's hoping that he is not suffering and that God's will be done.

[Mr Bones]

If you take away all of his basketball accomplishments, he's still an extraordinary man just based on his views of life. Sad news.

Great quotes, Solid D.

[Juanobili]

My thoughts are with him and his family

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

John Wooden was 100 times better a person than he was a basketball coach, and He was one of if not the greatest basketball coaches.

[ChuckD]

"If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier."

This should be the forum motto.

Best wishes, Coach W.

[Russ]

There was a certain spot where he always sat at the UCLA games and people were always coming around asking for autographs. Well into his 90's. The last year or two he hasn't been there.

No coach has ever been more revered.

Wherever you may go, Mr. Wooden, please be quick but don't hurry. :)

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

:depressed

I met him when Texas A&M played UCLA a couple years back in Anaheim. Read all the books, but they do no justice to meeting and talking with him in person.

Godspeed, Mr. Wooden. :(

[Uriel]

Given the unfortunate news, I thought it would be appropriate to post this video here. It's really taken off on TED as of late, presumably because of his current condition, and I wish nothing but the best for he and his family.

John Wooden on True Success
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_ success.html

[SenorSpur]

One of the greatest coaches in professional sports - at any level - and an even better person.

Best wishes to him and his family. Hope he can at least get to 100.

[TE]

Thoughts and prayers are to John Wooden and his family. He's one of the best humans to ever grace foot on this earth.

Get well Coach Wooden.

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

Thoughts and prayers are to John Wooden and his family. He's one of the best humans to ever grace foot on this earth.

Get well Coach Wooden.

:tu Definitely one of the best to ever walk the earth, God bless this man.

[FromWayDowntown]

I think you could make a tangential connection between John Wooden and the Spurs because I think there's a Wooden-esque element to the way that Gregg Popovich approaches his job.

Obviously, even with Pop's successes, he doesn't hold a candle to Wooden in terms of winning in dominating style. But reminiscent of Coach Wooden, while he wins and seems to regard winning to be an important thing, Pop seems willing to acknowledge the relative importance of basketball in life. I think both coaches would maintain that if you're going to play the game, you should do what you can to win. But like Coach Wooden, Pop appears to believe that you win the right way and that the "right way" encompasses healthy doses of perspective, selflessness, respect, and accountability.

With all of Coach Wooden's maxims, few are specific to basketball and most are applicable to things that are far more societally significant than a game. We don't have the Quotable Pop from his generation-long stay in San Antonio, but the philosophical principles that seem to guide Pop's work with the Spurs, I think there's a connection with the broader perspective that Coach Wooden has embraced.

Certainly, that willingness to see basketball as something other than the most important thing in life has brought some criticism from Spurs fans who seem to wish that Pop would move away from that sort of aloofness about the importance of a game or a season.

Please don't misunderstand me: I'm not at all trying to compare the men as basketball coaches. But as men who coach basketball, I think they're closely-related.

[45 bank shot]

God bless him!

[Taco]

old John Wooden Rule: No long hair, no facial hair.


One day, All-America center Bill Walton showed up with a full beard. "It's my right," he insisted. Wooden asked if he believed that strongly. Walton said he did. "That's good, Bill," Coach said. "I admire people who have strong beliefs and stick by them, I really do. We're going to miss you." Walton shaved it right then and there. Now Walton calls once a week to tell Coach he loves him.

http://www.inspire21.com/stories/sportsstories/coachjohnwooden

[Chomag]

Our thoughts and prayers for him, his family and close friends.

[Flintstones32]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2010-06-03-john-wooden_N.htm?csp=34

Looks like its dehydration. Says he is resting comfortable and no other info is given on his condition officially. All the reports about him being in grave condition have been anonymous sources.

[Mr. Body]

Hope he's doing well. But let's not exaggerate how good he was. UCLA was a filthy program that bought all its players in an age before the college ranks ran that stuff out. Calipari had nothing on Wooden. Nothing.

[Russ]

Hope he's doing well. But let's not exaggerate how good he was. UCLA was a filthy program that bought all its players in an age before the college ranks ran that stuff out. Calipari had nothing on Wooden. Nothing.

:rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes


Calipari had nothing on Wooden. Nothing.

Um, graduation rate?


Calipari had nothing on Wooden. Nothing.

Um, number of NCAA championships? (10-0)


in an age before the college ranks ran that stuff out.

???????? Earth to Mr. Body . . . :depressed

[JMarkJohns]

Looks like my friend was wrong. Thankfully.

[JMarkJohns]

Damn it. Confirmed... Thoughts and prayers with his family.

[toki9]

Wooden's gone at 99. Full story from the LA Times here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-mew-john-wooden,0,4909616.story

[Mel_13]

RIP

The man lived a very long, very useful life.

[samikeyp]

RIP Coach...the world of basketball owes you a lot.

[mytespurs]

:(

We never look forward to hearing this type of news for those we love & admire.

Rip John Wooden-You are the best

[Blackjack]

Just sad, sad news.

All the best to his family and I hope Coach Wooden's found himself back in the arms of his Nell.

[admiralsnackbar]

Congratulations on a life well lived. RIP.

[Mr. Body]

:rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes



Um, graduation rate?



Um, number of NCAA championships? (10-0)



???????? Earth to Mr. Body . . . :depressed

Hey, Wooden's athletes got cars bought for them. They got money under the table. His programs were filthy. This is on record. Everyone choses to look the other way, like you, because they think he's a hero. Great coach, sure, but let's not pretend they weren't buying all the talent. He'd be run out of the NCAA on a rail nowadays, like Kelvin Sampson, who did less.

[DMX7]

People forget he won a national championship as a player at Purdue. Hard to believe he started his playing career there in 1928.

[Mr. Body]

Russ, and others: learn about a man named Sam Gilbert, Wooden's money man. He was to Wooden what World-Wide Wes is to John Calipari.

"But facts are facts. And the fact is, Wooden was at UCLA for 15 years, from 1948-63, without winning an NCAA championship. And then from 1964-76 he won 10 titles in 12 years. What changed? Sam Gilbert's involvement changed. "

From here. (http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/11757857)

[exstatic]

Russ, and others: learn about a man named Sam Gilbert, Wooden's money man. He was to Wooden what World-Wide Wes is to John Calipari.

"But facts are facts. And the fact is, Wooden was at UCLA for 15 years, from 1948-63, without winning an NCAA championship. And then from 1964-76 he won 10 titles in 12 years. What changed? Sam Gilbert's involvement changed. "

From here. (http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/11757857)

Dude, STFU. Kori said no trolling this thread. There is NO need to shit on his legacy when he's only just died. Man, you're one fucked up miserable motherfucker.

[Mr. Body]

Dude, STFU. Kori said no trolling this thread. There is NO need to shit on his legacy when he's only just died. Man, you're one fucked up miserable motherfucker.

This is the problem with Americans nowadays. They want their plum fairy-tale fantasies. I already told you, the guy was well-respected and I wish him peace. But for God's sake, let's not say he's the greatest or anything. CAN'T WE FOR ONCE RESPECT THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T CHEAT???

There are people who die every day and toil in semi-obscurity who DO NOT CHEAT. Let's leave our true condolences to those honorable souls.

RIP Wooden. But let's be honest with ourselves. Or are we so blinkered we want our stupid porcelain fantasies?

[exstatic]

This is the problem with Americans nowadays. They want their plum fairy-tale fantasies. I already told you, the guy was well-respected and I wish him peace. But for God's sake, let's not say he's the greatest or anything. CAN'T WE FOR ONCE RESPECT THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T CHEAT???

There are people who die every day and toil in semi-obscurity who DO NOT CHEAT. Let's leave our true condolences to those honorable souls.

RIP Wooden. But let's be honest with ourselves. Or are we so blinkered we want our stupid porcelain fantasies?

See, that one line just undid your obviously fake earlier sentiments. We get it. You don't respect the man or his legacy. Now GTFO.

[TheManFromAcme]

Hey, Wooden's athletes got cars bought for them. They got money under the table. His programs were filthy. This is on record. Everyone choses to look the other way, like you, because they think he's a hero. Great coach, sure, but let's not pretend they weren't buying all the talent. He'd be run out of the NCAA on a rail nowadays, like Kelvin Sampson, who did less.

Can you put that aside for now? I mean, is this necassary right now? A man has died. How bout some respect..................................some people

[ElNono]

Rip

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

R.I.P. John Wooden, its a sad day

[Russ]

Russ, and others: learn about a man named Sam Gilbert, Wooden's money man. He was to Wooden what World-Wide Wes is to John Calipari.

"But facts are facts. And the fact is, Wooden was at UCLA for 15 years, from 1948-63, without winning an NCAA championship. And then from 1964-76 he won 10 titles in 12 years. What changed? Sam Gilbert's involvement changed. "

From here. (http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/11757857)

Okay, that's it.

Don't lecture me about who or what John Wooden was.

I went to USC (the natural rival of UCLA). Not only that, I was actually a student at USC when Wooden was still coaching. (I'm really old, man.)

I hated UCLA. Rooted against them every one of those championships. I was hoping Jacksonville with Artis Gilmore and Pembrook Burrows III would beat thenm in the NCAA Finals. Nope.

I wsa hoping Larry Kenon and Memphis State would beat them. But no.

I do not have much in common with John Wooden.

He's a Bruin, I'm a Trojan.

He's a devout believer, not me.

He thought that a structured set of beliefs could provide all answers. I disagree with that that kind of thinking (to put it mildly).

Kareem Jabbar (a Muslim) did not like the fact that Wooden referred to his team as a "group of fine Christian young men." (Nor did one or two Jewish players.)

Wooden had dress and hair codes (much to the chagrin of Bill Walton).

Wooden was actually pretty narrow-minded by today's standards.

But all those guys (when they settled down) really appreciated the man. (Can you honestly say the same of Derrick Rose and Calipari?)

And, yes, I know who Sam Gilbert was. He was my ace in the hole every time I debated college basketball with my Bruin friends.

But when push came to shove, I think Wooden really cared about his players and taught them a good bit more than basketball (and, trust me, the cynical part of me has a hard time saying that).

For example, the fabulously successful John Wooden lived in a modest apartment from the time he was coach at UCLA until the end.

The most money he ever made, as I recall, was about $12,000 a year. And, even factoring in inflation, he could have made a lot more.

And finally, timing is everything --let's pay some respect to a Bruin that even a Trojan could appreciate and maybe even revere. :)

[duncan228]

Nice piece, with some video tributes too.

Legendary John Wooden dead at 99 (http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/news/story?id=5253601)

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

This is the problem with Americans nowadays. They want their plum fairy-tale fantasies. I already told you, the guy was well-respected and I wish him peace. But for God's sake, let's not say he's the greatest or anything. CAN'T WE FOR ONCE RESPECT THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T CHEAT???

There are people who die every day and toil in semi-obscurity who DO NOT CHEAT. Let's leave our true condolences to those honorable souls.

RIP Wooden. But let's be honest with ourselves. Or are we so blinkered we want our stupid porcelain fantasies?

You're an asshole, but we already knew that.

Fuck man, just scroll.

[exstatic]

Excellent article (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/alexander_wolff/06/03/wooden.1964/4.html)from cnnsi.

[cantthinkofanything]

This is the problem with Americans nowadays. They want their plum fairy-tale fantasies. I already told you, the guy was well-respected and I wish him peace. But for God's sake, let's not say he's the greatest or anything. CAN'T WE FOR ONCE RESPECT THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T CHEAT???

There are people who die every day and toil in semi-obscurity who DO NOT CHEAT. Let's leave our true condolences to those honorable souls.

RIP Wooden. But let's be honest with ourselves. Or are we so blinkered we want our stupid porcelain fantasies?

wtf???? you're an asshole AND an idiot. not a rare combination though. you're just throwing shit out there to be controversial. if it was Michael Jackson, then you would have a point but it's John Wooden. you are just providing fodder for those who want to do away with freedom of speech. now shut up and go back to watching gay porn.

[Mr. Body]

Wooden was a gentle, good man who had a tremendous weakness -- he didn't say anything about the enormous advantage he got through others cheating on his behalf. Yes, this makes him a cheater. He was a good ambassador for the game and people genuinely liked him. Let's respect that. But let's go ahead and put in the work to wipe UCLA's championships off the board, the ones that deserve to be wiped out, the way they should have years ago.

There were other teams and coaches who did not cheat who deserve, much belatedly, to have their names in the record books instead.

No amount of you looking away will change this. And when a public figure passes away, this is precisely when it should be discussed. Nixon's obituary surely mentioned Watergate, and it should have. That is part of who he was, and who we were and still are.

[TampaDude]

John Wooden was the greatest coach of all time. Let the small-minded, small-penised haters hate. They only succeed in making themselves look stupid and petty.

[Agloco]

Russ, and others: learn about a man named Sam Gilbert, Wooden's money man. He was to Wooden what World-Wide Wes is to John Calipari.

"But facts are facts. And the fact is, Wooden was at UCLA for 15 years, from 1948-63, without winning an NCAA championship. And then from 1964-76 he won 10 titles in 12 years. What changed? Sam Gilbert's involvement changed. "

From here. (http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/11757857)


This is the problem with Americans nowadays. They want their plum fairy-tale fantasies. I already told you, the guy was well-respected and I wish him peace. But for God's sake, let's not say he's the greatest or anything. CAN'T WE FOR ONCE RESPECT THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T CHEAT???

There are people who die every day and toil in semi-obscurity who DO NOT CHEAT. Let's leave our true condolences to those honorable souls.

RIP Wooden. But let's be honest with ourselves. Or are we so blinkered we want our stupid porcelain fantasies?

Is there a perma-pink available for this shithead?

[cantthinkofanything]

No amount of you looking away will change this. And when a public figure passes away, this is precisely when it should be discussed. Nixon's obituary surely mentioned Watergate, and it should have. That is part of who he was, and who we were and still are.

your mom licks balls. lots of them.

[Newton]

“A bell is no bell ’til you ring it.
A song is no song ’til you sing it.
And love in your heart wasn’t meant to stay
Love is not love ’til you give it away.”

From Joe Posnanski's SI article on Wooden:

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2010/06/05/wooden-and-love/

"I bring this up here because I have spent much of the morning listening him to say those lyrics from memory — if you go to the Web site, you can hear John Wooden recite those words. And in reciting them, of course, he infuses them with meaning beyond what even Oscar Hammerstein probably intended. That’s what John Wooden did in his 99 years. He infused life with meaning. He found essence in the haze. He won a lot of basketball games without ever thinking that winning was the point. And he gave away a lot of love."

Damn straight. A great man that lived a great life. Cheers to him and condolences to his loved ones.