[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 167 (Tuesday, November 18, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H11440-H11443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE THAT JOHN WOODEN SHOULD BE HONORED FOR HIS 
                 CONTRIBUTIONS TO SPORTS AND EDUCATION

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 411) expressing the sense of the House that John 
Wooden should be honored for his contributions to sports and education, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 411

       Whereas John Wooden has been honored with the Presidential 
     Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian award;
       Whereas John Wooden was a successful amateur basketball 
     player who led Martinsville High School of Martinsville, 
     Indiana, to the 1927 Indiana State Championship and led 
     Purdue University to the 1932 NCAA Men's Basketball 
     Championship;
       Whereas John Wooden, during 40 years of coaching, compiled 
     an 905-205 (.815) record;
       Whereas John Wooden coached the UCLA Bruins to 88 
     consecutive victories;
       Whereas John Wooden coached the UCLA Bruins to 10 NCAA 
     Men's Basketball Championships in 12 years;
       Whereas since 1976 the Wooden Award has been presented 
     annually to the most outstanding collegiate basketball player 
     of the year and the nine All-American team members, as well 
     as selected most valuable high school players;
       Whereas John Wooden nurtured and inspired many of the 
     greatest basketball players of all time who would be examples 
     of sportsmanship, courtesy, and commitment and would go on to 
     fame in their own right;
       Whereas John Wooden is one of only two men enshrined in the 
     Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach;
       Whereas on December 20, 2003, the basketball court in 
     Pauley Pavilion at UCLA will be named ``The Nell and John 
     Wooden Court'';
       Whereas John Wooden is a respected author whose books on 
     achieving success have inspired many to reach their goals and 
     climb to the top of their professions; and
       Whereas John Wooden developed the ``Pyramid of Success'', a 
     graphic representation of the ideals that form the basis of 
     Wooden's outlook on life and explain much of his success on 
     and off the court: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) congratulates John Wooden for receiving well-deserved 
     recognition through the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 
     Nation's highest civilian award, and the naming of the Pauley 
     Pavilion basketball floor in his honor; and
       (2) commends the unparalleled achievements and 
     contributions of John Wooden in the fields of sports and 
     education.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McKeon) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon).

[[Page H11441]]

                             General Leave

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H. Res. 411.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 411 which honors the 
contributions to sports and education by UCLA basketball coach John 
Wooden. I want to thank my good friend, neighbor and Bruin, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), for introducing this resolution 
to recognize a man who is nothing short of a legend in our part of the 
State.
  Coach Wooden concluded his 40 years as a head coach in 1974-75 and 
his 885-203 overall career win-loss record is unequaled. In 27 years as 
coach of the UCLA Bruins, his teams registered 620 wins and only 147 
losses while earning far more national honors than any other 
university. Under Wooden, UCLA won an unprecedented 10 NCAA 
championships, including seven consecutive championships from 1966 to 
1973.

                              {time}  1830

  Included in this string is one of the most amazing win streaks in all 
of sports, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories. That feat is truly 
unbelievable.
  Additionally, John Wooden is the only coach to compile four 
undefeated seasons of 30-0 and his Bruins teams captured 19 conference 
championships. His talent on the court earned him induction into the 
National Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Coach 
wooden is only one of two people to receive this dual honor.
  Early in his career, John Wooden committed himself to sports and 
academics. As an English major, his name is inscribed on Purdue's 
academic honor roll, and he was awarded the Big Ten Conference medal 
for scholarship and athletics in 1932. His commitment to scholarship 
and sportsmanship have inspired and nurtured countless student 
athletes, and we owe him our thanks and admiration.
  I want to, once again, thank my colleague from California for 
introducing this resolution and extend my congratulations to Coach John 
Wooden for his achievements and contributions to collegiate athletics. 
I ask all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 411. This resolution honors 
the contributions which former UCLA coach John Wooden made to college 
sports and to education.
  Coach Wooden is recognized as one of the most successful players and 
coaches in basketball history. He is one of only two individuals who 
have been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and 
coach.
  Coach Wooden finished his coaching career with an 885-203 record. He 
coached the UCLA Bruins to 88 straight victories. He coached the Bruins 
to championship wins in 10 out of 12 seasons. This record of athletic 
championship is legendary.
  While Coach Wooden has been honored for his accomplishments on the 
court, he has also been recognized for his leadership and personal 
qualities. Coach Wooden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 
the Nation's highest civilian honor. In addition, he inspired his 
players to achieve success in their own right. He also is an 
accomplished author.
  Coach Wooden has inspired us with his legendary ability to win on the 
court. But he has also inspired us with his ability to help young 
people develop into leaders in their own right. For that, this House 
and this country owe him our thanks.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would urge Members to support this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), the author of this resolution.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), my colleague, for yielding me 
this time. And it is a very proud moment for me to rise on behalf of 
literally thousands of UCLA alumni who are proud, and in just a small 
way, a small way, not just to be associated with this great university 
but to be associated with the name of John Wooden who has been our 
great basketball coach all of the time I have looked at UCLA, but will 
remain our preeminent basketball coach for all time.
  I must say it is very appropriate that we do this today, in view of 
the fact that on December 20, the basketball floor at Pauley Pavilion 
will be dedicated the Nell and John Wooden Court. The Edwin W. Pauley 
Pavilion sits right across the way from the John Wooden Center on the 
UCLA campus. The Pauley's donors are listed across the bottom of a 
plaque outside the building. Fifth from those on the bottom, of those 
supporters, is John Wooden himself.
  This incredible individual, whose background and success pattern has 
been discussed by both of my colleagues already, has demonstrated for 
all time to all of us who are fans of UCLA that here is an example that 
we would all hope to begin to be able to follow. For those who do not 
know just how strongly I feel about UCLA, I would certainly want John 
Wooden to know this, my dog happens to be named Bruin.
  Having said that, over the years it has been my privilege to talk to 
any number of our alumni who have participated or worked with or been 
around John Wooden. He, indeed, has been an inspiration to literally 
thousands, as I have suggested. His dedication to our college, to the 
sport, is a reflection of the fact that his whole lifetime has been one 
of production for excellence. He and his wife symbolize the most 
fantastic of that which should be family life.
  Over the years, John Wooden demonstrated his early capability as a 
leader, becoming an All-American basketball player. As a basketball 
coach at UCLA, no one, but no one will ever attain his record again. He 
is an inspiration to all of us, as I have suggested.
  I might mention that in the 10 championships during his seasons at 
UCLA, UCLA won only 291 of those games and lost 10 during that string. 
During those years, my own children were youngsters, thinking about 
going away to college, and I was interested in having them take a look 
at UCLA. I will never forget my twin sons going with me on the very 
evening in Pauley Pavilion when they raised that 10th banner 
symbolizing the 10 seasons of excellence for Coach Wooden's career.
  It is a great privilege for me to be a small part of this resolution 
this evening, and I wish John Wooden Godspeed, and, indeed, the 
contribution he has made is a symbol for all of us to follow.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), another former coach, another great coach, now 
a Member of Congress and who serves on our Committee on Education and 
the Workforce.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lewis) for introducing this resolution. John Wooden's coaching 
accomplishments have already been mentioned, and I do not need to go 
over those a whole lot; but I would just like to have people think for 
a minute how difficult it would be when there are over 200 Division I 
teams to be the top team, the one that came out on top in the national 
tournament 10 times, seven times in a row. Mathematically, that is 
almost impossible. So his win-loss record was amazing, 88 wins in a 
row. When you think of the home court advantage in basketball, to have 
won half of those away from home is remarkable.
  But that is really not why I wanted to speak about John. As far as I 
am concerned, John Wooden is the greatest coach that I have known in 
any sport, in any era. And the reason I say this is not based on his 
wins and losses, but rather it is based on his philosophy of coaching, 
the way he did it and the fact that he was a consummate teacher.
  His attention to detail was amazing. And it ranged from showing his 
players how to put their socks on. Now, that seems like a strange thing 
to do, but every year he would show them personally how to put on two 
pairs of socks so

[[Page H11442]]

they would not get blisters and would not get wrinkles. That is where 
it started, and then it went on to how to dribble, how to pass, how to 
shoot, how to bend your knees on a free-throw. So tremendous attention 
to detail. And then, of course, he went on to his pyramid for success, 
which was essentially the building blocks for success, which so many 
corporations and businesses have incorporated at the present time.
  So, essentially, it was the base: the loyalty, perseverance, 
teamwork, integrity, and on up the line to what led to success. But one 
principle that influenced me more than any other issue in coaching was 
simply this: he said that he never talked about winning to his players. 
Now, that is amazing, a coach who had coached that long never mentioned 
the word winning, never talked about it. He quoted Cerventes, and 
Cerventes said this: ``The journey is more important than the end.'' 
And what he meant here was that the process, the thing that you do 
every day, is the important thing. Not the end result.
  So how to dribble, shoot, pass. In coaching football, to block and 
tackle, maximum effort, unselfishness, teamwork, discipline. And doing 
it every day at every moment was the key to what he was all about. So 
his commitment to fundamentals and daily discipline and team chemistry 
and his caring for his players led to the wins, but that was not the 
important thing to him.
  I guess now that I am out of coaching, I understand even better what 
he was talking about. Because it really is not the rings, it is not the 
trophies, it is not the championships that you remember. The thing that 
you really remember is the relationships, the personal growth of your 
players, their character development, their shared struggles, and 
sometimes the spiritual growth you see in those players.
  Just a couple of weeks ago I pulled out one of John Wooden's tapes 
that he had made at age 92, and it was amazing the clarity and the 
attention to detail that he had at age 92. Certainly every bit as sharp 
as he was when he was 40 or 45. So this man has had a tremendous impact 
on a whole generation of coaches and players that has gone beyond what 
anybody else has ever done.
  So I am pleased to just have a chance to say a word or two about him 
and certainly support the resolution.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Souder), a former member of the committee, a Hoosier, who 
wants to claim Mr. Wooden for his own.
  (Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
California for this resolution. There are many great basketball 
coaches, Mr. Speaker; but John Wooden was certainly the greatest 
basketball coach of all time. His 88-game winning streak has never been 
matched. Notre Dame beat him at the beginning and the end, I have to 
point out, but it was nevertheless a tremendous winning streak.
  But given the debate here, you would think he was a Californian. In 
fact, I think it is the same John Wooden who was a Purdue All-American 
and who led them to the national championship. When he was at South 
Bend Washington High School, where he started out in coaching, he used 
to go to my father-in-law's Zimmer Food Shoppes for breakfast before he 
went over there, which is in South Bend, Indiana. And then he coached 
at Martinsville and a number of small colleges in Indiana.
  Much like Illinois trying to claim Lincoln, we say Indiana made 
Lincoln, Lincoln made Illinois; and so Indiana made Wooden, Wooden made 
UCLA.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I just comment that we are certainly glad 
Coach Wooden came to California.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to honor today a 
distinguished constituent of Los Angeles, the ``Wizard of Westwood'' 
himself, Coach John Wooden. His incredible achievements on the 
basketball court have shattered the record books and set the bar to 
which all college basketball teams and coaches are compared today.
  Coach Wooden is without question the most successful college 
basketball coach in history. In his first year coaching at UCLA in 
1948, Coach Wooden took a team that was picked to finish last in its 
conference and took them, through sheer perspiration and hustle, along 
to first place in their division, setting a school record for wins in a 
single season. The next season, Coach Wooden led the Bruins to their 
first ever NCAA tournament appearance.
  Under his masterful guidance over his twenty-seven year coaching 
career at UCLA, the Bruins set all-time college records with four 
perfect seasons, 88 consecutive victories, 38 straight NCAA tournament 
victories, 20 PAC-10 conference championships, and ten national 
championships, including seven in a row. Coach Wooden and his Bruins 
teams were synonymous with being #1, and it is likely that these 
records will never be surpassed. Coach Wooden was deservedly recognized 
as Coach of the Year six times, and is enshrined in the Basketball Hall 
of Fame as both a player and coach.
  Yet, it is his successes off the court as a mentor and gentle teacher 
which make Coach Wooden's legacy far greater than statistics could ever 
measure. While at UCLA, Coach Wooden developed his ``Pyramid of 
Success'' principles which formed his philosophy of winning basketball 
and outlook on success in life. Embodied in maxims such as ``be quick, 
but don't hurry'' and ``it is not important who starts the game but who 
finishes it,'' Coach Wooden instilled in his players the qualities of 
leadership, teamwork, hard work, and attention to detail, hallmarks of 
his great teams, which the players applied to their personal lives as 
well.
  ``Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things 
turn out,'' Coach Wooden likes to say. It was Coach Wooden's guidance 
that enabled these students to become humble, accomplished persons as 
well as athletes, long after their basketball careers ended.
  With his loving and devoted wife Nell by his side, John Wooden's 
incredible impact on his players, on the UCLA community, and the sports 
world in general will always be remembered. A man of the highest 
integrity, Coach Wooden demanded only the best from a person and from 
his talents.
  I am also submitting for the Record a piece about Coach Wooden by 
Rick Reilly that appeared in Sports Illustrated in March 2000. It is 
further testament to this great man's character and contribution to 
sport.
  It is a distinct honor to pay tribute to this legendary teacher and 
coach today, a role model for all of us, both athletes and fans alike, 
to follow.

                   A Paragon Rising Above the Madness

                            (By Rick Reilly)

       On Tuesday the best man I know will do what he always does 
     on the 21st of the month. He'll sit down and pen a love 
     letter to his best girl. He'll say how much he misses her and 
     loves her and can't wait to see her again. Then he'll fold it 
     once, slide it in a little envelope and walk into his 
     bedroom. He'll go to the stack of love letters sitting there 
     on her pillow, untie the yellow ribbon, place the new one on 
     top and tie the ribbon again.
       The stack will be 180 letters high then, because Tuesday is 
     15 years to the day since Nellie, his beloved wife of 53 
     years, died. In her memory, he sleeps only on his half of the 
     bed, only on his pillow, only on top of the sheets, never 
     between, with just the old bedspread they shared to keep him 
     warm.
       There's never been a finer man in American sports than John 
     Wooden, or a finer coach. He won 10 NCAA basketball 
     championships at UCLA, the last in 1975. Nobody has ever come 
     within six of him. He won 88 straight games between Jan. 30, 
     1971, and Jan. 17, 1974. Nobody has come within 42 since.
       So, sometimes, when the Madness of March gets to be too 
     much--too many players trying to make SportsCenter, too few 
     players trying to make assists, too many coaches trying to be 
     homeys, too few coaches willing to be mentors, too many 
     freshmen with out-of-wedlock kids, too few freshmen who will 
     stay in school long enough to become men--I like to go see 
     Coach Wooden. I visit him in his little condo in Encino, 20 
     minutes northwest of L.A., and hear him say things like 
     ``Gracious sakes alive!'' and tell stories about teaching 
     ``Lewis'' the hook shot. Lewis Alcindor, that is, Kareem 
     Abdul-Jabbar.
       There has never been another coach like Wooden, quiet as an 
     April snow and square as a game of checkers; loyal to one 
     woman, one school, one way; walking around campus in his 
     sensible shoes and Jimmy Stewart morals. He'd spend a half 
     hour the first day of practice teaching his men how to put on 
     a sock. ``Wrinkles can lead to blisters,'' he'd warn. These 
     huge players would sneak looks at one another and roll their 
     eyes. Eventually, they'd do it right. ``Good,'' he'd say. 
     ``And now for the other foot.''
       Of the 180 players who played for him, Wooden knows the 
     whereabouts of 172. Of course, it's not hard when most of 
     them call, checking on his health, secretly hoping to hear 
     some of his simple life lessons so that they can write them 
     on the lunch bags of their kids, who will roll their eyes. 
     ``Discipline yourself, and others won't need to,'' Coach 
     would say. ``Never lie, never cheat, never steal,'' Coach 
     would say. ``Earn the right to be proud and confident.''
       You played for him, you played by his rules: Never score 
     without acknowledging a teammate. One word of profanity, and 
     you're done for the day. Treat your opponent with respect.

[[Page H11443]]

       He believed in hopelessly out-of-date stuff that never did 
     anything but win championships. No dribbling behind the back 
     or through the legs. ``There's no need,'' he'd say. No UCLA 
     basketball number was retired under his watch. ``What about 
     the fellows who wore that number before? Didn't they 
     contribute to the team?'' he'd say. No long hair, no facial 
     hair. ``They take too long to dry, and you could catch cold 
     leaving the gym,'' he'd say.
       That one drove his players bonkers. One day, All-America 
     center Bill Walton showed up with a full beard. ``It's my 
     right,'' he insisted. Wooden asked if he believed that 
     strongly. Walton said he did. ``That's good, Bill,'' Coach 
     said. ``I admire people who have strong beliefs and stick by 
     them, I really do. We're going to miss you.'' Walton shaved 
     it right then and there. Now Walton calls once a week to tell 
     Coach he loves him.
       It's always too soon when you have to leave the condo and 
     go back out into the real world, where the rules are so much 
     grayer and the teams so much worse. As Wooden shows you to 
     the door, you take one last look around. The framed report 
     cards of the great-grandkids. The boxes of jelly beans 
     peeking out from under the favorite wooden chair. The dozens 
     of pictures of Nellie.
       He's almost 90 now, you think. A little more hunched over 
     than last time. Steps a little smaller. You hope it's not the 
     last time you see him. He smiles. ``I'm not afraid to die,'' 
     he says. ``Death is my only chance to be with her again.''
       Problem is, we still need him here.

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 411, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________