John Wooden is a hero to many people around the world; he taught people the important things in life such as putting God first, and through God put others before oneself. He was a remarkable person to know or talk to; he taught his players things that both helped them on and off the court. Wooden’s coaching career changed the game of basketball by turning it into a team sport and proved to the nation that players don’t need to be flashy to be great players. His legacy will never end; he has inspired so many others by his words and his many great accomplishments.
John was born on his parent’s farm on October 14, 1910 in Centerton, Indiana. This farm soon went bankrupt so they moved to Martinsville, Indiana. He was the star player on his new High School Basketball team when he met Nellie Riley. He enrolled at Purdue University as English major. At Purdue John was an All-American his last three years (“John”). After John graduated in 1932 he passed up an offer to play for the Celtics to begin teaching and to marry Nellie Riley (Litsky). He coached high school basketball for eleven yea...
Earl Lloyd was probably the most courageous player of all time. Some people know him as “The Big Cat” others know him as the first African-American to play in an NBA basketball game with the whites; he changed the way people think and look at basketball and black players and coaches. Earl Lloyd loved basketball from a very young age. Earl had two brothers older than him which was Earnest and Theodore. Earl was very dedicated from a very young age. With his high school team he took them to a state championship and won. After high school Earl went off and took his talents to West Virginia State College. While Earl was there his sophomore year they went 33-0 which is a perfect season. Earl’s team won back to back CIAA conference championships and tournament championships.
Bobby Knight’s college basketball career goes back over 40 years. In 1960 as a player for Ohio State University, Knight helped the Buckeyes capture the national championship. This feat will later make Knight one of only two men to play on and coach a national championship team in college basketball, the other being Dean Smith. Knight’s Ohio State Buckeye teams went on to win two more Big Ten championships in the next two years. Knight’s fellow teammates can remember him as being a tenacious defender on the court who would stop at nothing to win a game. His competitive nature allowed him to continue his basketball career after his playing years were over.
Jim Valvano, otherwise known as “Jimmy V”, was a college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. This paper will cover Jimmy and define his true leadership qualities. Jimmy was an icon in the sports world not only for his coaching ability. He taught the world that leaders need a vision, leaders need to connect with their followers, and that leaders learn from their followers. Jimmy defied the rules and transformed his players into exceptionally good players and even better people. He taught more than basketball to his players and reached outside of his coaching arena to touch the lives of people across the world.
Pete Maravich was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. His spectacular moves and awesome footwork helped him to get better everyday. His incredible passes and being able to control the court caused his teammates to like him even more. “His playground moves, circus shots, and hotdog passes were considered outrageous during his era” (NBA Encyclopedia Playoff Edition). His love for basketball was instilled by his father Peter “Press” Maravich.
Jackie Robinson, born Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children and was raised by his single-handedly mother Mallie Robinson in poverty. He went to John Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College, were he excelled in football, basketball, track, and baseball. Jackie Robinson won the regions Most Valuable Player in baseball in 1938. Jackie was inspired by his older brother Matthew Robinson to push for his goals, talents and love for sports. Jackie finished his education at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was the first student in the university to receive varsity letters in four sports. In 1941, Robinson had to leave UCLA because of financial problems just around graduation time. He ended up moving to Honolulu, Hawaii and played football for the Honolulu bears, but that didn’t last long because the United States entered World War II. Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army from 1942 to 1944, but was honorably discharged because; he refused to sit in the back of a segregated bus during boot camp in 1944.
“Be more concerned with you character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” These words of John Wooden are just a few out of many wise quotes millions of people, not just athletes, are inspired by today and likely will continue to be inspired by for a very long time. Basketball fans and experts consider John Wooden as one of, if not, the greatest coaches of all time. Much of his success is a result of his beliefs and coaching system. Knowing the background of Coach Wooden’s playing and coaching career plays a significant role in understanding how he practiced his beliefs with his teams and how his philosophy and success intertwined to set a precedent for the remainder of collegiate basketball.
An English proverb states, “ A hero is a man who is afraid to run away”. I agree with this proverb, because when you see a hero in a comic book, they have super cool back stories, are not afraid to fight, and stare danger in the face and not blink. They are not afraid of anything. That’s nice to look up to, but they are not real. Our definition of a hero is too much for one man to become, you can do something honorable, heroic, but you will never actually be a hero because it's too much, in real life. Heroes don’t just do it so they can get paid, or respect. What really determines whether someone is a hero is if they choose to do something about it in a bad situation. We have people that do heroic acts, for example, people putting their lives before others. Those people cannot be heroes because they get paid to do it, they are, firefighters, cops, and military, they get paid to help people, so they aren't considered a hero.
59 year old John Glover Roberts Jr, was born on January 27, 1955 in Buffalo, New York. He was the only son of John G. “Jack” Glover Sr. and Rosemary Podrasky Roberts. His ancestry was Irish, Welsh, and Czech (O'Dowd). In 1959 his family moved to Long Beach, Indiana where he attended first, a Catholic Elementary School (Notre Dame), and then a private Catholic boarding school (La Lumiere in La Porte, Indiana). John then entered Harvard with aspirations of becoming a history professor.
John Trudell was born in Ohama, Nebraska on february 15,1946 where he was raised in small towns in Northern Nebraska near the southeast corner of South Dakota. The tribe he associates himself with is the Santee Sioux tribe (Nichols). In 1963, John was 17 years old in high school when he was called up to the principals office and was told that he had a lot of potential but that he needed to study hard to make something of himself. John felt disrespected because he felt like he had already made something of himself so after he left the meeting, he dropped out of school and this is when he joins the U.S. Navy. He served during the early years of the Vietnam War until 1967, where he would then go to college at San Bernadino Valley College in San Bernardino, California to study radio and broadcasting (Nichols). Years after that he will become a Native American Activist while joining two organizations named The Indians of All Tribes and the American Indian Movement.
The first personal traits that Coach Dale was forced to exhibit were his toughness and his assertiveness. On his first night in Hickory he met the men of town in the barbershop who were all willing to provide their experience and insight on the team and how to coach. Coach Dale had enough self confidence to know that none of these “insights” were going to help the Hickory team win basketball games and let them know they weren’t welcome by turning his back and walking out. Additionally, he was forced to demonstrate his toughness twice more on the first day of practice by telling the temporary coach, “Secondly, your days of coaching are over,” and then by standing up to the group of men after he dismissed Buddy from the team. These actions made no friends of the men; however, th...
A tragic hero is defined as a person of high social rank, who has a tragic flaw or flaws that lead to their downfall. These heroes’ downfalls are usually either complete ruin or death. Tragic heroes face their downfall with courage and dignity. While many characters in Julius Caesar could fit these conditions, the person who fits the role of a tragic hero the best is Marcus Brutus. Brutus develops into a tragic hero throughout the play, and this is shown though his qualifications of a tragic hero, his high status, his tragic flaws, and his courage in the face of his death.
What makes someone a hero? A hero isn’t a celebrity or someone who can fly, have super speed, or shoot lasers out of their eyes. A hero is just an ordinary citizen that fights to solve a widespread issue in today’s society. A hero is an ordinary individual who rises to the occasion and fights the issues with superhero behavior, without the actual super powers. A hero is someone just similar to everyone else, but when they see a problem they have the bravery to step up and fix it without thinking twice. In the United States, a hero is someone whose character and qualities inspire others to live in life with fulfillment and compassion.
John Pierpont Morgan was born on April 17, 1837 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was nicknamed "Pip" by his childhood friends. The family prospered in Hartford until Junius moved the family to Boston where Pip began Boston English High. He did well in the prestigious high school and then in his second high school in Vevey, Switzerland. The family moved to London and John transferred to the University of Gottingen in Germany. John continued to excel in his studies and majored in mathematics. He began to become interested in business affairs as he started and investing club amongst his friends and...
He became the first ever basketball coach, he is known as the father of basketball, even though his record as a coach at the University of Kansas was a mediocre fifty five wins and sixty losses. There are many sports to coach, so choosing the right sport to coach is the first test for any coach. Naturally, one would want to coach a sport that you know the most about. For example, if an athlete decided he wanted to get into coaching he would most likely choose to coach the sport he had once played.