Finished 12-26-11, rating 4.5/5, non-fiction, 202 pages, pub. 2004
Never lie
Never cheat
Never steal
Don’t whine
Don’t complain
Don’t make excuses
Joshua Hugh Wooden’s “two sets of threes” to live by (John Wooden’s father)
John Wooden, a basketball coaching legend, won 10 national championships in his 27 years at UCLA, but it was his honest and positive approach to life that won him a multitude of fans. This book chronicles some of the biggest moments of his life and how they influenced him, from his father reading poetry to he and his brothers to the death of his beloved Nell in 1985. He loved his family, respected others, and was always striving for success, on the court and off.
Jason and I read this aloud to each other for a few minutes each night as Gage listened or played, a perfect book for it. I hope that Jason will read this with Gage when he gets older. Wooden is role model because of the way he lived his life. He had success after success and yet he was always trying to learn lessons from perceived failings. It was so refreshing to read about someone considered the best in their field who was also just a decent human being. He was 99 when he died in 2010.
The book had lots of pictures and lots of basketball talk and is a perfect read for fathers & sons.
This book was from my personal library.
Stacy's Books 
Wow, it sounds like he lived a good life. I do think we have less and less examples of people who try to live a good life like that. I love memoirs and sports and suspect I’d like this book too. Thanks for the review.
I like the sound of the book and I like the sound of you two reading it to each other even more…won’t that be a great thing if the Father and sone share it with each other…
Imagine that! Someone so successful who doesn’t employ immoral, unethical, or underhanded practices to achieve success.
I love John Wooden and really admire what he built at UCLA. I’m still a huge UCLA basketball fan and so is my teenage son. I bought him a video with John Wooden giving his life lessons on it for Christmas a few years ago. He was definitely a role model!
Sounds excellent…too bad there aren’t more like him out there!!