For former Bruin basketball player John Vallely, Wooden was a life-long mentor

John Vallely, like many of coach John Wooden’s players, knew Wooden’s Pyramid of Success like the back of his hand.

Vallely, however, could never have guessed how much he would use the pyramid in his adult life.

“The personal integrity, the honesty, the sincerity, of the way he shared his thoughts on life,” Vallely said. “It was the direction that he gave us for dealing with these challenges and change that made such a big difference in my life in everything that I’ve been involved with.”

Vallely was a starting guard on both the 1969 and 1970 championship teams after transferring from Orange Coast College. Vallely’s 1970 team was not expected to win the NCAA Championship, and they were not ranked No. 1 until after their victory in the title game over 7-foot-2-inch Artis Gilmore and the Jacksonville Dolphins.

“Several days before the Final Four began, we came into the gym where Artis Gilmore and his Jacksonville teammates were going through their practice session,” Vallely said. “They had a boom box … and they had the concept of just being loose, being loose as much as you could in that environment. We watched them and thought, “˜These guys are just goofing around down here.'”

“Then, we put on our practice uniforms and went out and went through one half hour of an absolutely precise workout where there was no goofing around. The footwork was perfect, the passing was perfect, the fast breaks were so precise, and it was such a contrast from what they had prepared. It was great to be able to end up in that final game, overmatched maybe physically, but we were able to achieve so much and win the championship.”

Coach Wooden played a prominent role in some of Vallely’s most important life decisions, such as who he chose to spend the rest of his life with.

“When I was a young 21-year-old and didn’t know which way to turn and had been in a relationship with Karen, my wife, for three years … and before I could even get my question finished about what I should do, he put his finger in my chest and he said, “˜You marry that girl,'” Vallely said. “And so Coach has been giving me good advice for many, many years.”

But Coach Wooden’s helpful advice didn’t stop there for Vallely.

In 1988, Vallely’s nine-year-old daughter Erin was diagnosed with cancer and passed away three years later.

“Coach gave all of his players a foundation to deal with challenges and change so when it came to dealing with my daughter’s cancer … I would think about the characteristics of the Pyramid and how I might apply those in an uncontrollable situation,” Vallely said. “I knew I couldn’t control the cancer but I could certainly control my attitude and I wanted to be the best I could be for my daughter Erin.”

Vallely said that it was vital for him to latch on to the teachings of Wooden’s Pyramid early on in his life to make up for some of the physical ability that he lacked on the court.

“I got a chance to focus on some of the concepts of the Pyramid, which is to simply be the best player I can be within that environment and Coach taught us to think like that, so I began using it right away as a 21-year-old in my life,” Vallely said.

Whether he was prompting him to marry his future wife or helping him make up for a talent discrepancy on the court, John Wooden has played a large role in John Vallely’s life.

“We absolutely love and will always miss our Coach Wooden,” Vallely said.