John Robert Wooden (1910-2010) had an amazing career as a basketball player and coach, and was renowned for his short, inspirational messages to his players, not just about basketball, but about how to be a success in life.  He retired at the age of 64, though in 2004, at the age of 93, said that he wouldn’t mind returning to work as an assistant who could help players with practices and other light duties.

Now I know nothing about basketball.  But between 1948-1949 Mr Wooden took his team at UCLA from a cramped gym to the success of 10 national championships – apparently, the most successful coaching and recruiting project in college basketball history.  In 2009, The Sporting News  named him “Greatest Coach of All Time.”

I wonder how he did it?