This week began by celebrating the ninety-seventh birthday of John Wooden, the legendary coach of UCLA basketball, on October 14.

This week also marks the launch of a bold and comprehensive year-long, character-building sportsmanship program by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The connection is that this great coach, teacher, and homespun philosopher helped draft the CHARACTER COUNTS! Arizona Sports Summit Accord -- a document that forms the basis of the new Pursuing Victory with Honor/True Champions program that will reach more than 1,200 L.A. high school coaches.

Coach Wooden’s declaration that “a coach is first and foremost a teacher” is the central message of this program which seeks to inspire and invoke coaches to play a more conscious and consistent role in developing the character of the young people they teach.

Coach Wooden is, in every sense, a role model. He was an extraordinary basketball skill-builder and strategist as well as an intense and passionate competitor who always wanted to win, yet his interests and influence always went beyond athletics. Though he achieved unparalleled success, including 10 NCAA championships, he never measured the success of his coaching in terms of wins. His highest goal was to bring out and enhance the very best in the young men who played for him.

In today's sports environment, sullied by too many examples of cheating, self-promotion, ego and greed, we need to encourage youth coaches to follow John Wooden’s example.

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

For more information about the LAUSD sports program call 800-711-2670.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.