John Wooden, Communications Wizard
Words of the Day
“Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.” – John Wooden
Basketball Legend Brought Great PR to Sports and the World
John Wooden, the Wizard of Waverly and basketball’s most successful coach who recently died at 99, was much more than a coach. He was a mentor and father figure who transcended the basketball court at UCLA to reach a generation and moved the world through integrity, class and character.
He was also a master of communication and inspired the masses.
Wooden created a sports dynasty at UCLA – 10 national championships in a 12-year stretch, four 30-0 records and no losing seasons on his watch at the school.
He coached – and mentored — Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and countless others who went on to greatness on the court.
Wooden was dignified in his delivery, and was a much sought-after motivational speaker after he hung up the whistle. He spoke with precise language, as only an English teacher could, and he always carried a message his father gave him a very young age … “Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”
Wooden lived by that creed.
In his speeches, he was a great communicator, and his message almost always revolved around a “Pyramid of Success,” 15 building blocks of character – such as industriousness, alertness and poise held together by faith and patience.
Perhaps it is only fitting that this humble coaching icon always referred to himself as a teacher, not a coach.
His star player Abdul-Jabbar put it best for a story in the New York Times: “To lead the way Coach Wooden led takes a tremendous amount of faith. He was almost mystical in his approach … he was more concerned that we became successful as human beings, that we earned our degrees, that we learned to make the right choices as adults and parent. In essence, he was preparing us for life.”
He was a father figure to generations – and on the eve of Father’s Day – this great communicator takes the Golden Mic award posthumously.
Golden Mic
Each week, Wordsmith will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t. Stay tuned … and step-up to the mic!
The WordSmith News Bureau is based at Deane Smith Media Innovations, a full-service PR, marketing and advertising agency. Got PR? Need marketing strategy? Ad consulting? Message Wordsmithing? Creative & online initiatives? Reach the WordSmith at wordsmith@deanesmithmedia.com