While helping draft Josephson Institute's 1999 Arizona Sports Summit Accord – a declaration of ethical principles for youth and collegiate sports – John Wooden, one of the greatest coaches of all time, inserted the language that "a coach is, first and foremost, a teacher."

This anchor concept has greatly influenced our Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship campaign and spawned the term "teacher-coach."

Although Coach Wooden was an extraordinary basketball skill-builder and strategist as well as an intense and passionate competitor who always wanted to win, his teaching domain went beyond athletics. He never measured the success of his coaching in terms of wins or even championships. He understood that his unique relationship with athletes gave him both the power and the responsibility to shape their attitudes about honor, integrity, and fair play.

His highest goal was to bring out and enhance the very best in the young men who played for him. He continually sought to instill in his players a rich array of values and virtues associated with good character.

Today’s sports environment is so preoccupied with winning that true teacher-coaches like John Wooden seem to be a breed on the way to extinction. Many collegiate coaches are paid huge sums of money, and it’s not because they’re superb educators or character builders.

Millions of youngsters play sports. Think how much better they and society will be if they’re lucky enough to play for a teacher-coach. We shouldn’t settle for anything less.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.