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UCLA Dynasty on HBO
By Red Gendron

As you read the title of this piece you are no doubt wondering how something related to UCLA would wind up on a website devoted to hockey. So, has this Gendron guy lost his marbles? Perhaps I have lost some intellectual capacity but believe me when I tell you that what I am about to discuss here has as much do with hockey as anything anyone might write about an NHL team or a college hockey team.

On HBO beginning on March 26th and, at the time of this writing, still running on that network, they presented a program called UCLA Dynasty. It is an absolute must-see for anyone involved in or even remotely interested in any sport at any level. It is comprised of a series of game footage from the great UCLA basketball teams of the 60’s and 70’s that won 10 NCAA basketball championships under the legendary coach, John Wooden. It includes interviews with great players who played for UCLA during this period, sportscasters, former coaches, former administrators, and of course, Coach Wooden himself.

The wisdom of Coach Wooden is legendary and when you listen to the commentary from his former players, one begins to understand the profound nature of the impact he had on these young men both on and off the court. The dynasty ran concurrently with one of the most emotionally charged time periods in our nation’s history, the Vietnam War. This was also a period of time when racial tensions were extraordinarily high. Coaching a college basketball team with black and white players in Los Angeles during the war and the race riots is a feat in itself. Coaching these teams to undefeated seasons and to NCAA championships is most remarkable.

Coach Wooden taught his players to perform as a team, taking full advantage of some truly gifted athletes. It would be easy to say that his teams won exclusively due to superior talent. With several of those teams, it is difficult to argue otherwise. However, there were teams that won championships and didn’t feature Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabar) or Bill Walton. So if every championship can’t be attributed solely to superior talent, then the coach surely had something to do with them.

Coach Wooden’s maxims have become extremely popular, as has his famous pyramid of success. Possibly the most poignant moment as it pertains to his genius as a coach occurred at the end of the program. Bill Walton spoke about how the wisdom of coach Wooden still reverberates loudly in his own head and how he reminds his own children constantly of those pearls of wisdom: “Be quick but don’t hurry,” “don’t mistake activity for achievement,” “Happiness begins when selfishness ends.” I am confident that some well-known philosopher or philosophers have uttered similar truths. Perhaps these were expressed differently and less easily understood, but there is little doubt that these Wooden maxims, among the many others attributed to him, are as close to truth as anyone could ever seek.

Never having met John Wooden and familiar with him only from his writings and what others have said about him, I don’t claim to be an expert on this man. There are so many qualities and strategies attributed to Coach Wooden but there is one item of particular interest to me that I would like to discuss.

Did you know that John Wooden coached UCLA from 1948 to 1975? Did you know that he and the Bruins did not win their first NCAA championship until the 1963-64 season? What was he doing at UCLA between 1948 and 1964? Every season between ’48 and ’64 was a winning season so I guess Coach Wooden was doing a good job. Why, beginning with the ’63-’64 season, did the ultimate successes begin culminating with 10 NCAA titles in a 12 years? One of the reasons is certainly the players, the talent of the people who play the games, make the baskets, haul down the rebounds, etc. I believe that another reason is simply that John Wooden had refined everything that was being done in practice, everything he did coaching during the games, everything they did relative to recruiting, etc. John Wooden had built a program and the methodologies required for success over a long period of time and he had done this based on the philosophical principles contained in his pyramid of success. Thus, the foundation that would support the program, built piece by piece for over a decade was finally complete, paving the way for national championships.

In today’s world where we often seek instant gratification, instant solutions to problems, instant successes for our sports teams, it is very difficult for coaches to learn, to experiment, to seek perfection through principle and build something meant to last. ‘Win now or we will get someone else who will’ is far more common. Coaches still build their philosophies, refine their teaching strategies, and refine their recruiting regimens just like Wooden did at UCLA. Today, there is quite a bit more pressure to succeed immediately and coaches have a smaller window of opportunity to find the success. I have often wondered what would have happened to John Wooden had he replaced a coach who’s program had already achieved success at the national level. Would he have been given a decade to build a great program modeled on his philosophy? Would the great John Wooden have been afforded the time to get it done the right way? Money is also an issue contributing to the modern dilemma faced by coaches. Television contracts, NCAA tournament revenue, the money from alumni, and the like all contribute to the perceived need to win now. Would John Wooden be given the time to create his masterpiece in today’s revenue-driven college athletics environment?

I know you’re still wondering when I am going to relate this article to hockey. Well, the time has come! I sat before my television a couple of weeks ago and watched one of the greatest NCAA championship hockey games of all time: Michigan State’s 3-1 victory over Boston College. Five years ago, Rick Comley replaced the legendary coach of the Spartans, Mr. Ron Mason. It was Coach Mason who hired Comley to succeed him at MSU. Great successes did not come right away for the Spartans under their new coach and there were those in college hockey circles that were critical of the new coach and the athletic director who decided to hire him. However, Mason stuck with Comley, gave him an opportunity to continue to grow his version of the Michigan State Hockey Program and the results have now met the expectations. It took Wooden over a decade to get it perfect at UCLA. It took Coach Comley only five years. Congratulations to Coach Comley, Ron Mason, the MSU administration, the MSU alumni and supporters. Whether you believe it or not, it was your patience and confidence that had a hand in making your victory possible. Without trust in your coaches and your athletes, victory is never the result.

I highly recommend watching the documentary on the UCLA Dynasty and reading Wooden’s book, They Call Me Coach. I guarantee you will benefit from the time spent in these two endeavors whether you are a player, a coach, an administrator, or a parent.