The Greatest Coaching Figure of All Time

When I sat down to write this article, the obvious big names came to mind. Pep Guardiola. Phil Jackson. Sir Alex Ferguson. Ron Dennis. Hall of Fame-worthy names that have managed some of the biggest names in the sporting world. But I know what you’re thinking. Not that controversial right? But then I started thinking back to questions that my old lecturers in university would ask me. 

 

“What is the coach’s job?”

“What roles and responsibilities do they fulfill?” 

“What is the difference between a good coach and a great coach?” 

 

Let’s break it down. Fundamentally, a coach’s job is to manage and teach an athlete to help them reach their next level of performance. This could be anything from teaching a kid his first step-over to helping Premier League players understand a new counter-attacking concept. Within their role as a coach, their job is not just limited to screaming on a side-line on Saturdays and drawing up plays on their whiteboards. In fact, at any level, coaches can be seen in many lights such as a role model, a friend, a psychologist, an analyst, etc. But above all, there is one major factor that separates good coaches from great coaches: influence. If a coach is able to leave a positive long-lasting impression on an athlete at any level, they will carry their values and ideals for their entire career and continue to improve their own performance. This level of influence will then spread, moving from athlete to athlete, team to team and before you know it, the level of performance throughout an entire sport has reached new heights. 

 

So, with that in mind and with you sitting on the edge of your seat (it’s exciting I know) here is my pick for the greatest coaching figure of all time: John Wooden. 

 

Again, I know what you’re thinking. “Who the **** is that?!” 

 

But before you quickly exit this page, just give me a chance to explain myself. 

 

John Wooden is best known for being the coach of the UCLA Bruins in NCAA Division 1 Basketball, in which he won 10 National Championships from 1967-1975. His elite winning ability as both a coach and player gave birth to the nickname as the ‘Wizard of Westwood’ and throughout a 27-year career had a winning record of 664 wins to only 162 losses. But not only was he successful in his hey-day, but he’s also responsible for influencing the careers of some of the greatest athletes and coaches of all time such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Mike Krzyzewski. Furthermore, he designed a philosophy called the ‘Pyramid of Success’ which was adopted by not only athletes but even people outside the sporting spectrum such as Tom Hanks, Bill Gates, and Barack Obama and is still used today because of its success in all aspects of life. 

 

It is this type of immortal inspiration that separates John Wooden from all the great coaches of today as ever since 1967 he has been creating and developing an influential character that is everlasting in both the people who knew him and in the people who will follow his path.