In this post, I share the story of legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden and the Seven Point Creed and Pyramid of Success he followed and taught during his career and long life. This is from  Take This With You – 100 Messages to Accompany You on Your Life Journey, my book manuscript currently in process.

When the leaders at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) hired John Wooden in 1948 as the fourth head basketball coach in the school’s history, they could not have dreamed of the high level of success he and his teams would achieve. He took the helm at a school that historically had little success on the basketball court and turned it into what many consider to be the greatest dynasty in college athletics.

Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood (the area where UCLA’s campus is located), Coach Wooden’s UCLA Bruins won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in 12 years, including seven consecutive titles. He also coached his players to a record 88 consecutive game winning streak. His players, including all-time greats Kareen Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, revered Wooden for the example he set and all he taught them, not just about basketball, but also about being successful in life.

Named by The Sporting News in2009 as the Greatest Coach of All Time, Wooden passed away in 2010 at age 99. He often referred to the Seven Point Creed his father gave to him when he finished grammar school as the foundation of everything he achieved as a coach and a man.

1. – Be true to yourself. 2. Make each day your masterpiece. 3. Help others. 4. Drink deeply from good books, especially The Bible. 5. Make friendship a fine art. 6. Build a shelter against a rainy day. 7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.¹

Coach Wooden was well known for his Pyramid of Success that was topped off with the commitment to Competitive Greatness. He explained this maxim as, “Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required each day.”²

His maxims also included: 1. Failing to prepare is preparing the fail (originally attributed to Benjamin Franklin). 2. Flexibility is the key to stability. 3. Be quick, but don’t hurry. And 4. Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference. “Talent is God-given. Be humble,” Coach Wooden advised. “Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”³

REMEMBER

◊ The great Michael Jordan said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life, and that’s why I succeed.”⁴

◊ President Abraham Lincoln said, “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”⁵

◊ “Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts,” Coach Wooden said. “All of life is peaks and valleys. Don’t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.”⁶

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1. Wooden, John, Seven Point Creed, www.thejohnwoodencourse.com/the-pyramid-of-success/seven-point-creed ↩︎
2. Wooden, John, The Pyramid of Success, www.coachwooden.com/pyramid-of-success ↩︎
3. Wooden, John, The Pyramid of Success ↩︎
4. Jordan, Michael, https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/michael-jordan-quotes ↩︎
5. Lincoln, Abraham, https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/abraham-lincoln-quotes ↩︎
6. Wooden, John, The Pyramid of Success ↩︎