With all the championships and awards legendary coach John
Wooden has won, he never quite felt it was he who deserved the
accolades. Those had always been a product of team efforts, never
something he did alone.
But now, that’s finally changed.
Wooden was awarded an honor that’s all his. For his
achievements, Wooden received the prestigious Presidential Medal of
Freedom last week in Washington.
“Until now, one the highest honors I received was during
my graduation from Purdue,” Wooden said. “The Big 10
gave me, as an athlete, an all-academic award. That was something I
had earned on my own. More than the other things, like the
championships where so many others were involved, I was proud of
that because I had done it myself.”
As the highest civilian award, the Medal of Freedom is given
annually to individuals of, “significant public or private
accomplishment” and recognizes “exceptional meritorious
service.” This year’s recipients included UCLA Emeritus
Professor James Q. Wilson, Julia Child and Charlton Heston.
Wooden was nominated by one of his retired players, Bruin alumni
Andre McCarter who had waged a three-year campaign on behalf of his
former coach.
When he first received the call detailing the award he won,
Wooden thought it was all a joke.
“The lady on the line was telling me how this was a high
award and that I had to accept,” Wooden said. “I just
told her to send me something on it in writing.
The next day a letter came by special delivery, and it was only
then did he finally believe what was going on.
“I can’t express the feelings I have about
it,” said the NCAA championship winning coach.
“There’s no way I could feel deserving of it when there
are so many others I could say over me. But it is the highest honor
I’ve ever felt.”
“The most significant part of this came after visiting
with the President where I realized that all this was not just from
having a team that won basketball games, but that my pyramid seemed
to affect many people outside the basketball community.”
Any one of the coach’s achievements ““ the 10 NCAA
Championships, his book “Pyramid of Success” or the
dozens of broken records could stand alone in importance, but yet
he still sees others ahead of him who haven’t yet been
recognized.
That was why McCarter had to keep the nomination campaign a
secret from him. Had Wooden known about the hundreds of letters
from old friends, players and family, describing his significance
to each of them, the iconoclast coach said he would have stopped
it.
“I don’t think I am worthy above so many
others,” Wooden said.
But from the many letters and non-stop phone calls he received
last week from across the country, people seem to think he is
worthy.