I came across a great article this morning on ESPN that made me stop and think about the impact we can potentially have on others and that I shouldn't take my actions for granted as I so often do.If you know anything about basketball, then you've heard the name John Wooden before. I know I've mentioned him here on the Blog several times. I've read a few of his books and he is truly an inspirational figure to the players that have played for him.
To give you an idea of the type of man he is, Bill Walton (Hall of Fame) played for him at UCLA and after one particular Christmas break, Walton returned to school with a full grown beard.
Coach Wooden's rules stated that every player would be clean shaven and represent both the school and the team in a positive manner. Well, Walton thought since he was one of the best basketball players in the country at the time, that he could probably get away with it.
So when Coach Wooden first saw the bearded Walton, he asked Walton if he knew the rules about facial hair. Walton replied that yes he did, and that our troops were over in Viet Nam fighting for the rights of freedom and that he had the right to be able to wear the beard if wanted to.
Coach Wooden then asked Walton if he truly felt that strongly about it, and Walton answered "yes I do." At which point Coach Wooden told Walton that he was proud of him for standing by his beliefs and that he truly respected him for it. Then Coach Wooden held out his hand to Walton and said I wish you the best of luck and we'll sure miss you. At that point, Walton decided the beard wasn't that important after all.
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