Conversations with Coach Wooden

'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 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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