Wooden

In my younger years I was an avid sports fan but that all changed when I retired and moved to Florida and found outside activities were more enjoyable than watching games on TV. Coach Knight died this week and he was mentored by my favorite coach John Wooden. Wooden was the first coach who realized that the inner city Black kids were the future of basketball and he knew that many of these kids came from homes without fathers and he wanted to teach them not only how to play ball but how to become responsible citizens. He did this in many ways but the one quote that best exemplifies his approach was when he said, the finest thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother. Since Wooden's time all successful coaches, including Knight, have followed in Wooden's footsteps.