John Wooden died on Friday at the age of 99. His accomplishments on the basketball court are virtually unrivaled. In 40 years of coaching, he had only one losing season. At UCLA, he won seven consecutive national championships and at one point in his tenure there, the team won an unheard of 88 straight games. Amazingly, his basketball achievements are not the what made him so successful, according to most of the people that knew him. Later in life, he was a motivational speaker and was always "coaching" those around him.
This is my favorite of all the leadership and motivational expressions for which is so commonly known:
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. — John Wooden, Legendary Basketball Coach
Rest in peace, Coach.