John Wooden Quotes

The all time best coach of basketball died last night at 99. John Wooden, former coach for UCLA, died last night at UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles and the news was confirmed by the family members of legend. The exact causes of his death were not found but reportedly he died of natural causes and there were no suspicious elements involved in his death. In a statement released after his death, his son and daughter thanked the whole world for their support and thanked them for being there with their father through their prayers and wishes. They also mentioned that the father was driving force for them too just like he was for his team that won 10 NCAA titles during 1964 to 1975 and whose team had emerged with a unique record of winning 88 consecutive games between 1971 and 1974.

All the famous basketball personalities paid gratitude to this legend after his death saying his death was an irrecoverable loss for the sport of basketball and he would remain alive in their hearts. He was the third player in the basketball history who got Hall of Fame entry through both ways, as a player and as a coach as well. Sports Illustrated, in 1989, declared him the best coach ever in the history of basketball. But what he thought about himself? For that, we see his quotations.

“I don’t think I was a fine game coach. I don’t think I was a great strategy guy. I think I was a good practice coach. I could tell you right now what we did at every practice I had at UCLA — every day, every minute. It’s all on paper.”
—UCLA Magazine (Summer 2000)

He was such a nice person that he never said that he was great. Some of his other quotes are also mentioned below.

“Be prepared to be honest.”

“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

“It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.”

“It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.”