In this continued series honoring the legendary lives of Art Linkletter, 97, and John Wooden, 99, while their career paths were very different, there were definite similarities in their seamless transitions to life in retirement. Both continued doing what they loved to do, were as busy as they wanted to be, and ultimately, loved making a difference by helping others.

While Linkletter never really officially “retired,” Wooden definitely did. And even though it’s not entirely clear whether the way each of their retirement’s actually evolved was part of a set plan, it’s obvious that the joy they both experienced in their next phase of life was because they continued to follow their passion – doing what they’d always done, just in a little different way.

After announcing his retirement rather unexpectedly following a championship game, Wooden simply walked away.  But he never really stopped coaching, or as he preferably referred to it, teaching. The only real difference was he left the basketball court, and instead, took his techniques mainstream – to the masses.

Recognizing most people probably associate John Wooden with his incomparable sports accomplishments, his impact was far greater than just basketball and his message transcended way beyond sports. While he said he never regretted walking away from coaching, the one thing he admitted he missed most was practices – Wooden loved to teach.

So it should really come as no surprise that one of Wooden’s primary legacies will undoubtedly be his Pyramid of Success -- a chart consisting of 25 key behaviors that served as the building blocks to his philosophy for life by tying success not to achievement, wealth, or fame, but to how close a person came to their potential.

Wooden long believed success was about more than mere accomplishments. And as far back as the 1930s, when Wooden first started teaching and coaching, he wrote his first personal definition of success in an effort to assure his students -- and their parents – that they could be successful without earning all As.

“I wanted to give them something to aspire to beyond higher marks in English classes or more stats in sports,” Wooden said.

Over the next 15 years, Wooden continued to tinker with the chart, completing it in 1948, just before leaving Indiana State for UCLA. While no one knows for sure what the exact secret was to Wooden’s extraordinary success at UCLA, he apparently had a way of inspiring his collegiate athletes with this personal code for life because every single one of his players learned the Pyramid of Success. With industriousness and enthusiasm at the chart’s cornerstones; faith, patience, loyalty and self-control among the building blocks, and competitive greatness at the pyramid’s peak, it’s perhaps no wonder Wooden and his teams achieved an astounding 10 NCAA Championships, including an unmatched seven in a row from 1967-1973, and four 30-0 seasons over 27 years, winning 627 games, including 88 straight during one historic stretch – a record unlikely ever to be broken.

And even today, more than half a century later, Wooden’s old-fashioned, but still resonant Pyramid of Success, is practiced everywhere from classrooms and board rooms to the courts and fields of sports organizations – youth to adult, and even among military personnel. It’s evident that it, and the legendary Wooden, will ultimately stand the test of time.

There’s no bling, trash talk, intimidation or boastfulness on Wooden’s pyramid, just a base of 25 powerful words, which serve as meaningful behaviors that create amazing outcomes:

Competitive Greatness
Poise • Confidence
Condition • Skill • Team Spirit
Self-Control • Alertness • Initiative • Intentness
Industriousness•Friendship•Loyalty•Cooperation•Enthusiasm

Bordering the chart around the perimeter are the words:

Ambition • Adaptability • Resourcefulness • Fight • Faith
Patience • Integrity • Reliability • Honesty • Sincerity

Wooden’s Pyramid of Success was not only part of his teaching and coaching, but it also played a key role in his retirement as he shared these principles with the public and business community as well. And with the arrival of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he even created a children’s version of the Pyramid where success was defined as happiness in your heart, and knowing you tried your best.

Both Wooden and Linkletter had a special affinity to people. And while each had their own unique way of connecting with others, ultimately it was about living a life that mattered and making a positive difference. These two legends achieved that during both their careers and in retirement. They touched people of all ages and left their mark by helping everyone be the best they could be.

That’s a legacy that keeps on giving.

NEXT ISSUE – Final in the 3-part series featuring John Wooden

Kelly Ferrin, gerontologist/longevity expert and author of “What’s Age Got To Do With It? Secrets to Aging in Extraordinary Ways” has been studying aging and retirement issues for over 25 years. She was one of the first to ever receive a degree in this field from the prestigious Andrus School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, the top school in the nation for age-related studies.

website: kellyferrin.com ••• email: ageangel@earthlink.net