Overview

From legendary basketball coach John Wooden's life lessons and ""pyramid of success"" philosophy to musings on his favorite sport-baseball-this engaging account chronicles the friendship between Wooden and fellow University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) head coach Gary Adams. For nearly a decade, the two celebrated coaches shared an office and developed a close friendship that lasted 35 years until Wooden's passing. Adams's heartwarming narrative details discussions they shared about heroes, history, life, and their mutual favorite pastime-baseball. The book also reflects on Wooden's core philosophies and the guiding principles behind his numerous basketball successes, including his election into two halls of fame as a player and a coach, winning 10 National College Athletic Association (NCAA) National Championships in a 12-year period, and being named NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year six times. Recollections from Major League Baseball stars Eric Karros, David Roberts, and Chase Utley are also included, along with quotes from other athletes and associates of UCLA.

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9781595800763

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Reviews

Coach Adams, we know how much our dad valued your long friendship. Conversations with Coach Wooden brought us laughter and tears as we read it. Thank you, Gary, for sharing your memories of our dad, John Wooden. --Nan and Jim Wooden, Daughter and Son of John Wooden

Coach Adams had a tremendous impact on my baseball career, but more importantly, he guided me down a path to becoming a better person. He set a daily example that all of us wanted to follow....Thank you, Skip, you are a true role model. --Chase Utley, Major League All-Star for the Philadelphia Phillies and UCLA All-American second baseman Thank you, Coach Adams and Coach Wooden, for the lifelong lessons I now will pass along to my children. --Eric Byrnes, UCLA All-American outfielder and twelve-year major-leaguer Coach Adams changed my life by taking my average bat and slick fielding glove away from me during my senior year at UCLA and telling me I was only going to be a pitcher. He was honest with me--and from what I know about Coach Wooden, it was something he would have done, too. --Casey Janssen, Toronto Blue Jays closer and UCLA All-American pitcher Gary Adams is the best coach I have ever had. He not only made me a better ball player, but also a better man! The confidence he had in me was the single reason I believed I could one day be a big leaguer. I am grateful to have played for him for four years, and I am proud to call him a friend. --David Roberts, first base coach for the San Diego Padres, UCLA outfielder, and ten-year major-leaguer I had the blessing of not only playing for Coach Gary Adams, but also coaching against him at the college level later in life.... I can honestly say he is one of the finest human beings I have ever known--a great teacher of the good, but more importantly, a great leader of young men! --Andy Lopez, University of Arizona Head Baseball Coach, three-time NCAA Coach of the Year, and two-time national championship winner Two coaches, working their magic in distinctly different circumstances, bonded by America's pastime. My thanks to Gary for bringing to life musings so powerful that I can almost smell the pine tar. --Dan Guerrero, UCLA Athletic Director and former Bruin Baseball Hall of Fame player 'Coach not only enriched my UCLA experience, he also made me a better man. That is how Coach Wooden and Coach Adams were so uniquely similar; they felt it was their responsibility to make eighteen-year-old freshmen into upstanding young men who could function in life beyond the playing field. --Torey Lovullo, Boston Red Sox bench coach, UCLA All-American second baseman, and eight-year major-leaguer Coach Adams, we know how much our dad valued your long friendship. Conversations with Coach Wooden brought us laughter and tears as we read it. Thank you, Gary, for sharing your memories of our dad, John Wooden. --Nan and Jim Wooden, Daughter and Son of John Wooden

Author Information

Gary Adams was the head coach of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) baseball team for 30 years. He is the school's all-time winningest baseball coach and led the team to conference titles and five second-place finishes. He lives in Bear Valley Springs, California. Eric Karros is a UCLA alumnus and a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) player who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for 12 seasons. He was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1992 and is a color commentator for baseball on Fox. Karros also hosts a local Los Angeles Dodgers pregame show. He lives in Los Angeles.

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