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They Call Me Coach
The legendary coach talks about his life, his players, and his winning philosophies in this bestselling autobiography
John Wooden's dedication and inspiration made him America's "winningest" coach. His beliefs in hard work and preparedness brought the UCLA Bruins an unparalleled 10 NCAA basketball championships. Now in this bestselling autobiographywith a Foreword by Hall-of-Famer Bill Waltonthe college basketball legend reflects on his record-breaking career, his life behind the scenes, and how his top players went on to shape and change the NBA.
From the everyday basics to important life lessons ("It's not how tall you are, but how tall you play"), Wooden shares his worldly wisdom on and off the court to offer a personal history of an unforgettable time in college basketball, answering the most-asked questions about his life, his career, and the players who made his teams unbeatable.
"They Call Me Coach is grass-roots Americana, a story bigger than basketball. One of those rare sports books that is must reading for everyone."
Chicago Tribune
"What Knute Rockne was to football, Connie Mack to baseball, and Wilbur and Orville Wright to flying, John Wooden is to basketball. This book captures the full flavor of the man, the philosophies that work in life, and the philosophies that work on the court. I commend it to people who want to succeed at eitheror both."
Los Angeles Times
242 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
John Wooden
77 books344 followersJohn Robert Wooden is a retired American basketball coach. He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (class of 1961) and as a coach (class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories; only Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman have since been so honored. His 10 NCAA National Championships in a 12 year period while at UCLA are unmatched by any other college basketball coach.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
February 10, 2017
A truly inspirational book by a truly inspirational man. Coach Wooden coached 17 seasons at Indiana and UCLA before winning a championship - and then he won 10 out of the next 12! He is one of the greatest coaches ever, and Reading his book gives some great insights into his philosophy.
My only criticism of the book is that I think he spent too much time comparing his players, and answering questions like "who was your greatest player". I guess he got those questions a lot, but it didn't add much for me.
One of his top values was conditioning. He thought games were often or largely out of his control as a coach, but what was in his control was how conditioned his team was, and he made a point to have the best conditioned team out there. In fact, he often refused to call timeouts in key situations, banking on his teams conditioning down the stretch. As he said, "ninety percent of the time the game will be decided in the last 5 minutes", and of course the better conditioned team will make less mistakes in that time.
If any one premise typifies my teams in all the years I've coached, it is this concept. Often as a player, I'd tell myself, "I may play someone better than I am, but I'll never run against one who is going to be in better condition" And I never played against a man in my life I felt was in better shape, and Lambert often cited me as an example of top conditioning."
Another key aspect of Wooden's philosophy was that he believed the little things, the details, really mattered. Two examples of this: First one was that one of the first things he taught new players was how to properly put their socks and shoes on. It turns out, you can easily do it wrong, which leads to blisters - but kind of amazing to think of him teaching Kareem or Bill Walton how to put their socks on! The second was he really believed in strict discipline and cleanliness - for instance he believed in the team cleaning up a locker room before leaving. These little details would "establish a spirit of togetherness and consideration that help unite the team into a solid unit."
Wooden believed in focus, and "playing your game":
“In game play it was always my philosophy that patience would win out. By that, I meant patience to follow our game plan. If we believed in it, we would wear the opposition down and would eventually get to them. If we broke away from our style, however, and played their style, we would be in trouble. And if we let our emotions, rather than our reason, command the game we would not function effectively.”
Interestingly, Wooden didn't believe in "charging teams up on an emotional level", as many coaches do. In fact, I bet most people that that giving inspirational, charged up speeches is one of the key attributes of a great coach. So this was interesting - and helpful in a lot of ways - people respond more to confidence and having a plan.
One tactically smart thing Wooden did right before he started winning championships, was to change his practices from having 5 starters vs 5 second team, to 7 or 8 first teamers vs the rest. The first team during practice was literally a rotation between those 7 or 8. This got the key bench players used to playing with the first team, and made a world of a difference.
But I think my favorite takeaway from the book, was Wooden's philosophy on what to ask of his players. He didn't ask them to win. He asked them to strive to have a "perfect practice", or a "perfect game". In other words, to play to the very best they can in the given moment. While that may sound obvious, keeping his teams focused on that instead of winning likely made the difference. It's all too easy to start focusing on winning or losing or things that aren't in the moment.
“When I was teaching basketball, I urged my players to try their hardest to improve on that very day, to make that practice a masterpiece.
Too often we get distracted by what is outside our control. You can’t do anything about yesterday. The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away. You can do nothing about tomorrow. It is yet to come. However, tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece. You have control over that.
This rule is even more important in life than basketball. You have to apply yourself each day to become a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better. Only then will you will be able to approach being the best you can be. It begins by trying to make each day count and knowing you can never make up for a lost day.”
ps. I also loved how he had a secret signal with his wife before every game.
My only criticism of the book is that I think he spent too much time comparing his players, and answering questions like "who was your greatest player". I guess he got those questions a lot, but it didn't add much for me.
One of his top values was conditioning. He thought games were often or largely out of his control as a coach, but what was in his control was how conditioned his team was, and he made a point to have the best conditioned team out there. In fact, he often refused to call timeouts in key situations, banking on his teams conditioning down the stretch. As he said, "ninety percent of the time the game will be decided in the last 5 minutes", and of course the better conditioned team will make less mistakes in that time.
If any one premise typifies my teams in all the years I've coached, it is this concept. Often as a player, I'd tell myself, "I may play someone better than I am, but I'll never run against one who is going to be in better condition" And I never played against a man in my life I felt was in better shape, and Lambert often cited me as an example of top conditioning."
Another key aspect of Wooden's philosophy was that he believed the little things, the details, really mattered. Two examples of this: First one was that one of the first things he taught new players was how to properly put their socks and shoes on. It turns out, you can easily do it wrong, which leads to blisters - but kind of amazing to think of him teaching Kareem or Bill Walton how to put their socks on! The second was he really believed in strict discipline and cleanliness - for instance he believed in the team cleaning up a locker room before leaving. These little details would "establish a spirit of togetherness and consideration that help unite the team into a solid unit."
Wooden believed in focus, and "playing your game":
“In game play it was always my philosophy that patience would win out. By that, I meant patience to follow our game plan. If we believed in it, we would wear the opposition down and would eventually get to them. If we broke away from our style, however, and played their style, we would be in trouble. And if we let our emotions, rather than our reason, command the game we would not function effectively.”
Interestingly, Wooden didn't believe in "charging teams up on an emotional level", as many coaches do. In fact, I bet most people that that giving inspirational, charged up speeches is one of the key attributes of a great coach. So this was interesting - and helpful in a lot of ways - people respond more to confidence and having a plan.
One tactically smart thing Wooden did right before he started winning championships, was to change his practices from having 5 starters vs 5 second team, to 7 or 8 first teamers vs the rest. The first team during practice was literally a rotation between those 7 or 8. This got the key bench players used to playing with the first team, and made a world of a difference.
But I think my favorite takeaway from the book, was Wooden's philosophy on what to ask of his players. He didn't ask them to win. He asked them to strive to have a "perfect practice", or a "perfect game". In other words, to play to the very best they can in the given moment. While that may sound obvious, keeping his teams focused on that instead of winning likely made the difference. It's all too easy to start focusing on winning or losing or things that aren't in the moment.
“When I was teaching basketball, I urged my players to try their hardest to improve on that very day, to make that practice a masterpiece.
Too often we get distracted by what is outside our control. You can’t do anything about yesterday. The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away. You can do nothing about tomorrow. It is yet to come. However, tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece. You have control over that.
This rule is even more important in life than basketball. You have to apply yourself each day to become a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better. Only then will you will be able to approach being the best you can be. It begins by trying to make each day count and knowing you can never make up for a lost day.”
ps. I also loved how he had a secret signal with his wife before every game.
August 13, 2022
There's a reason John Wooden is known as the "Wizard of Westwood;" his success coaching college basketball for UCLA has few true rivals at any level of any sport in any era. Published in 1972 during his astonishing run of seven straight NCAA championships (including multiple undefeated seasons), this co-authored autobiography delivers a life history of Wooden during his rise from Indiana farm boy to high school and college basketball star to NCAA Division I college coach and includes much of the life-changing personal philosophy that Wooden learned from his strict God-fearing father and passed along to the young men under his charge. The book bogs down a little bit during the blow-by-blow accounts of the basketball seasons and is at its best when it focuses on the stories of Wooden and his young basketball stars who included future Basketball Hall of Famers such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.
November 2, 2011
John Wooden is the winningest coach in NCAA history, and a legend in the world of basketball. I spotted his autobiography on a friend's bookshelf and asked to borrow it. She also insisted that I take
The Zookeeper's Wife
. Suffice it to say that I thought this book was the better of the two.
There were three big things that I was left with at the end of the book:
One of the things that really struck me about this book was the way in which he described his former players. He speaks of them with genuine affection and care, and years after they've struck out on their own, you can tell that he still thinks about them and loves them. Wooden wasn't shy about using the word "love" in regard to his players.
Another thing that stuck out to me was his devotion to his wife. He absolutely doted on her, and the way he talked about her was beautiful to see. Nellie Wooden passed away in 1985, but Wooden remained faithful to her memory for the rest of his life. That's a rare love.
The last thing about Wooden that really made an impression on me was his love for God. He talks about his beliefs with not only conviction and passion, but with much love and affection for his Lord as well. He doesn't make any apologies for his faith, and he also doesn't try to make it the focus of the book. But it's as much a part of the book as it was a part of him.
My only criticism of the book was that it seemed a little disorganized at times. It was written with Jack Tobin, who writes for Sports Illustrated, so I was a little surprised that Tobin didn't rein in his subject a little.
But as far as sports books go, this is a great one, and a must-read for all fans of basketball, sportsmanship, and heroes.
There were three big things that I was left with at the end of the book:
One of the things that really struck me about this book was the way in which he described his former players. He speaks of them with genuine affection and care, and years after they've struck out on their own, you can tell that he still thinks about them and loves them. Wooden wasn't shy about using the word "love" in regard to his players.
Another thing that stuck out to me was his devotion to his wife. He absolutely doted on her, and the way he talked about her was beautiful to see. Nellie Wooden passed away in 1985, but Wooden remained faithful to her memory for the rest of his life. That's a rare love.
The last thing about Wooden that really made an impression on me was his love for God. He talks about his beliefs with not only conviction and passion, but with much love and affection for his Lord as well. He doesn't make any apologies for his faith, and he also doesn't try to make it the focus of the book. But it's as much a part of the book as it was a part of him.
My only criticism of the book was that it seemed a little disorganized at times. It was written with Jack Tobin, who writes for Sports Illustrated, so I was a little surprised that Tobin didn't rein in his subject a little.
But as far as sports books go, this is a great one, and a must-read for all fans of basketball, sportsmanship, and heroes.
April 13, 2018
This book taught me sooooo much. One main theme is that hard work really pays off in the long run. Another theme is that teamwork is key and that you have to keep your eye on the prize (in this case the NCAA championship)
January 8, 2019
In typical Wooden fashion, this book is chock full of good stuff. Not only from a coach or employer looking to gain insight but from a personal vantage as well. If we all approached everything we do with the Wooden principles, the world could be a much better place.
February 8, 2014
"They Call Me Coach" by John Wooden is about a hall of fame coach and player that talks about his life and the teams he coached. In this book John explains why he wanted to create a special bond with his players and how he saw them as his sons. John also explains how he taught the game of basketball and how his ideas were the first of its kind. He takes you through some of his most important games and what he was thinking at that time.
I thought that this book was a great piece of writing that inspires people to work hard no matter what. The writing is powerful because of the words and connections that John uses. The strengths of this book are that John writes what he is thinking not someone else trying to explain what he is thinking. The weaknesses of this book are that he doesn't talk about him playing basketball rather than coaching that much. I would recommend this book to a classmate if the like basketball and if they want to be inspired. If this book was part of a series I would read the next book.
I thought that this book was a great piece of writing that inspires people to work hard no matter what. The writing is powerful because of the words and connections that John uses. The strengths of this book are that John writes what he is thinking not someone else trying to explain what he is thinking. The weaknesses of this book are that he doesn't talk about him playing basketball rather than coaching that much. I would recommend this book to a classmate if the like basketball and if they want to be inspired. If this book was part of a series I would read the next book.
July 11, 2010
[I finished this book two days before [author:John Wooden] departed, and I just couldn't bring myself then to write this review until now, almost two months later.]
They Call Me Coach is a book about life and basketball, written by the Hall of Fame player and coach John Wooden. The book covers his playing years and (mostly) the coaching career, especially with the UCLA Bruins. The strict yet kind life philosophy of John Wooden is impressed in almost every line, and served him well in completing thirty years on the bench, creating a ten-championships/four undefeated seasons legacy at UCLA, and coaching Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton. The book also describes his Pyramid of Success, Wooden's philosophical take on how to be successful. Overall, a nice book by a good man.
They Call Me Coach is a book about life and basketball, written by the Hall of Fame player and coach John Wooden. The book covers his playing years and (mostly) the coaching career, especially with the UCLA Bruins. The strict yet kind life philosophy of John Wooden is impressed in almost every line, and served him well in completing thirty years on the bench, creating a ten-championships/four undefeated seasons legacy at UCLA, and coaching Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton. The book also describes his Pyramid of Success, Wooden's philosophical take on how to be successful. Overall, a nice book by a good man.
December 11, 2017
Interestingly, this book was recommended via a parenting podcast. Not that it had a ton of parenting advice, but it's a very interesting book to read about basketball and how this talented and smart coach developed his boys into fine men and basketball players. He basically didn't tolerate any crap. We could use more like him nowadays!!
July 20, 2021
There is only one word to describe this book - inspirational. They Call Me Coach is the story of John Wooden, the best NCAA Basketball coach of all time, winning 10 national championship with UCLA, including 7 in a row. The book tells most of his life, from his first coaching job to his last national championship. It also emphasizes John Wooden's principles of hard work and practice over winning, and not only focusing on getting to the top but staying at the top. They Call Me Coach also shows a full, two-page picture of John Wooden's famous Pyramid of Success. Overall this book is amazing and really inspirational for any upcoming athlete or coach and I'd recommend it to anyone.
February 20, 2008
John Wooden is recognized as one of the greatest basketball coaches in the history of the game. He won an amazing 10 NCAA National Championships. A truly great leader.
August 13, 2019
Some good reminders from the book about what drives success in teams:
1)Build a system that allows for flexible decision making based on the situation at hand (I.e if they do this, then you choose between x,y, or z based on your intuition)
2)obsessively and repetitively practice your decision making progressions until they become reflexes
3)focus on details,especially tactical details, and demand a standard from the team to get these details right
4) build a team using a complimentary cast of skillsets, look for the talent that best fits the role at hand
5)Build a team with folks who are “doers” and those that seek to hit goals without fear of making a mistake
6) ultimately you can’t teach talent, and that includes confidence, ingenuity and decisiveness
Ultimately though, the second half of the book had very little value. He got too into the specifics of the teams he coached...I’m sure that would have been very exciting to a 1970 UCLA fan, but it means the book does not stand the test of time.
1)Build a system that allows for flexible decision making based on the situation at hand (I.e if they do this, then you choose between x,y, or z based on your intuition)
2)obsessively and repetitively practice your decision making progressions until they become reflexes
3)focus on details,especially tactical details, and demand a standard from the team to get these details right
4) build a team using a complimentary cast of skillsets, look for the talent that best fits the role at hand
5)Build a team with folks who are “doers” and those that seek to hit goals without fear of making a mistake
6) ultimately you can’t teach talent, and that includes confidence, ingenuity and decisiveness
Ultimately though, the second half of the book had very little value. He got too into the specifics of the teams he coached...I’m sure that would have been very exciting to a 1970 UCLA fan, but it means the book does not stand the test of time.
October 26, 2018
Arguably one of the greatest coaches of all-time, John Wooden's autobiography has given me a LOT of good, practical ideas about coaching. He won 10 NCAA Championships at UCLA in the 1960-70's, but his emphasis on character development and teaching life lessons contributed to his overall influence on the world as much as anything.
This book is a must read for all basketball coaches who are humble enough to want to learn from others--in this case, maybe the best who ever did it! It talks about how he handled problems, how he viewed players, his philosophy as a coach, how different teams did throughout his career [obviously from his perspective], etc.
Since I'm basically in the preseason with my Varsity team, I found myself taking notes and messaging my guys about various topics in order to try and get us to the next level. I trust it will help us this year, and I'm very thankful to be influenced, although from afar, this 'Wizard of Westwood!'
This book is a must read for all basketball coaches who are humble enough to want to learn from others--in this case, maybe the best who ever did it! It talks about how he handled problems, how he viewed players, his philosophy as a coach, how different teams did throughout his career [obviously from his perspective], etc.
Since I'm basically in the preseason with my Varsity team, I found myself taking notes and messaging my guys about various topics in order to try and get us to the next level. I trust it will help us this year, and I'm very thankful to be influenced, although from afar, this 'Wizard of Westwood!'
July 7, 2021
As a youth, I was familiar of the accomplishments of the UCLA basketball glory days. I was unaware of Mr. Wooden's pre-Bruin career and the principles of his coaching tactics and the relationship that he had with his players, and this book filled in those gaps. I appreciated the love that he had for his players, he was generous in his praise and included criticisms -- these latter always in a kind way.
Less appealing was the chapter about his basketball camps, which seem like a blatant advertisement, and the repetition of too many characteristics of some of the players. Mr. Wooden's voice came through the book, but even a marginal editor should have tightened up the story and eliminated redundancies.
Less appealing was the chapter about his basketball camps, which seem like a blatant advertisement, and the repetition of too many characteristics of some of the players. Mr. Wooden's voice came through the book, but even a marginal editor should have tightened up the story and eliminated redundancies.
January 8, 2020
Great book! What an inspirational person both in basketball and life. It’s easy to comprehend even if you don’t follow the sport. It’s impressive what John Wooden was able to accomplish at UCLA, this book helps you understand how he did it. This is a great guide for someone looking for guidance on how to be successful at whatever they chose to pursue in life. I wish more people knew about coach Wooden and his Pyramid or Success. One of my favourite quotes from the book:
A man may make mistakes, but he isn’t a failure until he starts blaming someone.
A man may make mistakes, but he isn’t a failure until he starts blaming someone.
August 26, 2022
Im a little biased because my uncle gave this book to me when I needed it most. The pyramid of success helps me stay optimistic and is a really good tool/reminder to have around. Lots of good quotes! Even though I don’t play basketball…all of the themes are applicable to other aspects of my life like running and guidance. I’m not one for bibliography’s or nonfictions but I loved this book. Because of the person who gave it to me and because I am going through a rough patch running wise. And it helps give me hope and perseverance to succeed even while in the midst of an injury. 4.5
August 3, 2017
Coach Wooden was kind of a stick in the mud, but he is maybe the most impartial sports-book participant/author I've ever read. His tone is clinical, not nostalgic or self-promotional, and that's a credit to his objectives - he's not trying to romanticise those great UCLA teams. He wants to explain how his coaching philosophies got him to where he finished. UCLA basketball is almost an afterthought.
February 5, 2018
Lots to learn from the man in this book. Wisdom and experience pour from the pages as well as the memory and attention to detail that so many story tellers from older generations seem to have. Reading it is like talking with an elderly gentleman. Personally I hope when I'm that experienced I can recall with a story tellers eye for detail many memories like Wooden has in this book. He was definitely a man among men.
May 21, 2024
Took me a while to finish this one because I’m a lazy bastard. The first half of the book was a lot more enlightening than the back half. He makes some exceptional points about how to approach life. As you get toward the end it’s pretty much just him going season by season and talking about some obscure thing that changes the trajectory of the season. I’d recommend the first half of this book to friends. Not sure how much gets better after he talks about the pyramid of success.
September 24, 2018
It was great to hear coach Wooden's reflections on his early life and coaching career. A lot of it was repetitive towards the end. I cared about his nuggets of wisdom more than his personal opinions about his teams, but ended up getting more of the latter. Still very interesting, I'd recommend it to any coach or teacher who seeks to be inspired to lead in a consistent, ethical way.
January 20, 2020
A simple read with great nuggets of leadership wisdom and plenty of memories of Wooden’s great games / players. I read it mostly for the leadership lessons, and came away with some new ideas concerning the importance of working as a team, and the importance of working with people as unique individuals.
January 22, 2021
Great sports read! John Wooden is so humble and honorable on the court and off. He truly embodies everything a coach should be. It’s that nobleness of spirit with which he lead UCLA to the NCAA championship to win ten times in his career. He talks of his players with the love of a father. In life and on the court he brings the same principles, he is an inspiration.
May 5, 2021
Perhaps my Dad’s favorite sports figure, he loved to quote some of his one liners. This is the second Wooden book I’ve read and I think perhaps my favorite. Such a great picture of how he thought, acted and conducted himself with his players. His humility, conviction, and passion for the game and others is inspiring. Definitely worth the read!
June 6, 2018
I really wanted to like this book more. Maybe college basketball fans would like it more than I did. I enjoyed the first part of the book, but toward the end I lost interest. Disappointing, as I expected a better read.
May 1, 2019
John Wooden was a great coach and a good man. He didn’t motivate the way other coaches did (Bear Bryant, Lombardi). Wooden had remarkable success and did it with discipline and simplicity. I’m a big Wooden fan, even if he was a little moralistic.
May 18, 2017
Book is a slow read, but interesting for basketball enthusiasts. A good leadership manual, if you want an explanation of John Wooden’s pyramid.
July 7, 2018
Excellent look into the mind of one, if not the greatest coach in basketball. His methods not only apply on the court but in life. Naturally it's the "Pyramid of Success" that is the lead.
March 3, 2019
I remember there was a lot of “God” in this book... but it was still a good read
April 1, 2019
Interesting at the beginning but very repetitive.
April 6, 2019
Good insight into the times they are a changing
Read
August 7, 2019This was definitely a book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews