Beyond Winning: The Timeless Wisdom of Great Philosopher Coaches [Paperback]

Gary M. Walton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1991 | ISBN-10: 0880114533 | ISBN-13: 978-0880114530

In "Beyond Winning", Gary Walton reveals the thoughts and teachings that made six coaches successful in sport. Readers get an intimate look at how each of these philosopher coaches followed a different path in his pursuit of excellence - Vince Lombardi, Woody Hayes, John Wooden, James "Doc" Counsilman, Brutus Hamilton, and Percy Cerutty. Walton devotes a chapter to each of these coaches and focuses on their ability to manage and motivate winning teams. While he notes the coaches' win / loss records and contributions to technical advances in their sports, he stresses their more significant contributions as educators and as role models.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Walton, an economics professor and an assistant track coach at the University of California-Davis, treats his subjects as sports philosophers and educators. By including both famous (Vince Lombardi) and lesser-known (Percy Cerruty) coaches, he examines not just their popular successes and outstanding records, but how all were able to mold their athletes and advance their sports. Comparisons to prosperous business and management leaders reinforce the theme that success is the result of hard work, a demanding attitude, and attention to pride, organization, and dedication. Although Walton at times overemphasizes the importance of sports, this specialized volume is a worthy addition to larger sports collections.
- Jeffrey Gay, Bridgewater P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

"Winning three consecutive NFL championships under Lombardi at Green Bay left me feeling we had set a mark for future teams to shoot at. Doc Counsilman's six consecutive NCAA swimming championships and John Wooden's seven consecutive NCAA basketball championships may be marks never again equaled. Think about it. None of these records occurred haphazardly. Beyond Winning shares the philosophy, the principles, the winning minds of these and other great coaches. It's a book you will return to again and again."

Jerry Kramer Coauthor of Distant Replay and former Green Bay Packer

"As a fellow coach, I give Beyond Winning the highest possible endorsement."

Bill Walsh Former Head Coach, San Francisco 49ers

"Gary Walton sets forth athletics as a great learning and testing experience, and coaches as among the best of all teachers. . . . Throughout my life I have often observed, in the words of St. Jerome, that 'athletes as a rule are stronger'—this applies particularly to successful athletes. Gary Walton tells why."

Clark Kerr, President Emeritus University of California, Berkeley

"A primer on what it takes to be a winner on and off the athletic field. Gary Walton has captured the philosophy and motivational techniques of the world's finest coaches."

Don Bowden First American to break a 4-minute mile

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics Publishers (November 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880114533
• ISBN-13: 978-0880114530
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Summarizes the philosophies of outstanding coaches, October 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond Winning: The Timeless Wisdom of Great Philosopher Coaches (Paperback)

Great for young coaches and high school coaches. It will provide the coach with a framework of the importance of athletics and the role they play in later life development. It is not about "winning" alone ... but about the intangibles that accompany the process of winning. Great historical coaches are examined and insight is given into what they truly believed was important. A must for young coaches ... many life lessons are provided.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lombardi, Wooden, and a few you might not have known, February 25, 2001

By 

Stosh D. Walsh (near Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond Winning: The Timeless Wisdom of Great Philosopher Coaches (Paperback)

This book examines the coaching approaches of six "philosopher coaches": Vince Lombardi, Woody Hayes, John Wooden, James "Doc" Counsilman, Brutus Hamilton, and Percy Cerutty. Each is afforded a chapter in the book, and the final chapter gives a summary of the "essence of philosopher coaching." The book's premise is that the men presented believed that coaching was more than wins and losses, that it is inextricably intertwined with the development of the whole person. Each coach presented took a different approach to his methods, but all of them had this philosophical element in common. One of the pleasures of this book is that it has chosen coaches from a cross-section of sports: Lombardi and Hayes from football, Wooden from basketball, Counsilman from swimming, and Hamilton and Cerutty from track and field. Also interesting is that the summary chapter discusses, in part, the flawed elements of each coach's character, implying that they shared the journey toward self-discovery and personal development with the players they coached. An informative book that will certainly help shape (or re-shape) the coaching philosophies of those who read it.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite What I Was Expecting..., May 31, 2010

By 

N. Worthen "Striped Pony Rider" (Orem, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beyond Winning: The Timeless Wisdom of Great Philosopher Coaches (Paperback)

I would not recommend this book for a serious insight into coaching philosophies. There are much better and more comprehensive books than this on coaching. This book does do a fairly good job of documenting the coaching experiences of a few lesser known coaches that were very successful in their respective sports, but I wouldn't give it much more value than that.