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John Mabry: Huskers follow pyramid plan
Monday, Nov 20, 2006 - 09:42:56 am CST
There are all kinds of pyramids out there providing inspiration all around the world.
There are the pyramids of Egypt, most notably the Great Pyramid of Giza, which are one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
There is, of course, d!(k Clark, another ancient wonder, and the $100,000 Pyramid.
There is the ‘beeramid,’ perhaps a lesser model in terms of inspiration but an ancient symbol of primitive man nonetheless.
And there is the Husker Pyramid of Success.
Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor knows his pyramids. I showed him one on paper, and he knew right away it was not the one by which he swears.
“That’s not the pyramid,” he said.
He was correct. The pyramid I brought to practice for a visual aid was actually John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, not the Husker Pyramid of Success. The Wooden version has one more tier than the NU pyramid designed by Bill Callahan, who thought a simpler model would be more effective for his purposes.
The foundation blocks of the Wooden pyramid are industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation and enthusiasm. If you’re a Husker football player, the pyramid starts with trust, love, commitment and belief.
“After our first year here,” Callahan said, “I wanted to tie all of our key philosophies together. The pyramid was the best conceptual thought I had, and borrowing that from Coach Wooden, it made sense.
“At the bottom of the pyramid, we had a foundational tier — trust, love, commitment and belief — and that’s where we started.
“That’s where we start every week.”
Where does it end?
Last week, it was in the corner of an end zone at Kyle Field, where Taylor, Maurice Purify and many of their teammates shared a glorious moment of trust, love, commitment and belief after achieving maximum performance — the apex of the Husker pyramid.
In between the top and bottom tiers are such goals and concepts as attitude, execution and team unity. That’s a biggie.
“We set it as a goal for our team to improve in all areas on our pyramid,” said senior fullback Dane Todd, “to build a good, strong foundation for everybody. It brings us all together.
“Guys take what they want out of it, and we just hope that everyone buys into it and uses it to better the team.”
Callahan is certainly not alone in his devotion to the coaching and teaching philosophies of Wooden, one of the most revered head coaches in all of sports history. But Callahan has gone to great lengths to educate himself in the ways of the Wizard of Westwood.
When he was promoted to head coach with the Oakland Raiders several years ago, Callahan asked Wooden if he could come down to Los Angeles and spend some time with the UCLA legend.
“It was a great day,” Callahan said. “I remember flying down to L.A. I think I went down there with about 50 questions. He has a beautiful way of just simplifying things. That’s what I took away from that experience, that he’s very simple, that he has some core beliefs.
“He was just wonderful to be with.”
Callahan said the coaching staff worked on the Husker pyramid as a group, with everyone getting a chance to offer input. Players and staff members can see the pyramid everywhere – in the locker room, in team rooms, in Callahan’s office.
“We’re not talking about winning,” he said. “We’re talking about what we need to do to be successful.”
Callahan, Taylor and Todd all talked about the pyramid philosophy as a handbook for life, not just for football.
“No relationship is going to be able to flourish,” Callahan said, “unless you have those four components on that bottom tier — with your teammate, with your friend, husband, wife, whatever.”
Taylor views the pyramid as a guide to selflessness.
“It’s important for everyone to understand those values,” he said. “If you throw all those out, and you’re just playing for yourself…”
Well, then maybe it’s time to get working on that beeramid back at the apartment, because that approach is not going to cut it with the quarterback or the head coach.
Callahan can’t make everyone on the roster live each day with the Husker Pyramid of Success in mind, but he can sure try. And he will try.
“I think every day you go out and sell what you believe in,” Callahan said. “I’m not saying it’s the answer or why we win or why we lose or why we fail. It gives us a system that we can refer to.
“We pound it. We believe it.”
John Mabry: Huskers follow pyramid plan
Monday, Nov 20, 2006 - 09:42:56 am CST
There are all kinds of pyramids out there providing inspiration all around the world.
There are the pyramids of Egypt, most notably the Great Pyramid of Giza, which are one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
There is, of course, d!(k Clark, another ancient wonder, and the $100,000 Pyramid.
There is the ‘beeramid,’ perhaps a lesser model in terms of inspiration but an ancient symbol of primitive man nonetheless.
And there is the Husker Pyramid of Success.
Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor knows his pyramids. I showed him one on paper, and he knew right away it was not the one by which he swears.
“That’s not the pyramid,” he said.
He was correct. The pyramid I brought to practice for a visual aid was actually John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, not the Husker Pyramid of Success. The Wooden version has one more tier than the NU pyramid designed by Bill Callahan, who thought a simpler model would be more effective for his purposes.
The foundation blocks of the Wooden pyramid are industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation and enthusiasm. If you’re a Husker football player, the pyramid starts with trust, love, commitment and belief.
“After our first year here,” Callahan said, “I wanted to tie all of our key philosophies together. The pyramid was the best conceptual thought I had, and borrowing that from Coach Wooden, it made sense.
“At the bottom of the pyramid, we had a foundational tier — trust, love, commitment and belief — and that’s where we started.
“That’s where we start every week.”
Where does it end?
Last week, it was in the corner of an end zone at Kyle Field, where Taylor, Maurice Purify and many of their teammates shared a glorious moment of trust, love, commitment and belief after achieving maximum performance — the apex of the Husker pyramid.
In between the top and bottom tiers are such goals and concepts as attitude, execution and team unity. That’s a biggie.
“We set it as a goal for our team to improve in all areas on our pyramid,” said senior fullback Dane Todd, “to build a good, strong foundation for everybody. It brings us all together.
“Guys take what they want out of it, and we just hope that everyone buys into it and uses it to better the team.”
Callahan is certainly not alone in his devotion to the coaching and teaching philosophies of Wooden, one of the most revered head coaches in all of sports history. But Callahan has gone to great lengths to educate himself in the ways of the Wizard of Westwood.
When he was promoted to head coach with the Oakland Raiders several years ago, Callahan asked Wooden if he could come down to Los Angeles and spend some time with the UCLA legend.
“It was a great day,” Callahan said. “I remember flying down to L.A. I think I went down there with about 50 questions. He has a beautiful way of just simplifying things. That’s what I took away from that experience, that he’s very simple, that he has some core beliefs.
“He was just wonderful to be with.”
Callahan said the coaching staff worked on the Husker pyramid as a group, with everyone getting a chance to offer input. Players and staff members can see the pyramid everywhere – in the locker room, in team rooms, in Callahan’s office.
“We’re not talking about winning,” he said. “We’re talking about what we need to do to be successful.”
Callahan, Taylor and Todd all talked about the pyramid philosophy as a handbook for life, not just for football.
“No relationship is going to be able to flourish,” Callahan said, “unless you have those four components on that bottom tier — with your teammate, with your friend, husband, wife, whatever.”
Taylor views the pyramid as a guide to selflessness.
“It’s important for everyone to understand those values,” he said. “If you throw all those out, and you’re just playing for yourself…”
Well, then maybe it’s time to get working on that beeramid back at the apartment, because that approach is not going to cut it with the quarterback or the head coach.
Callahan can’t make everyone on the roster live each day with the Husker Pyramid of Success in mind, but he can sure try. And he will try.
“I think every day you go out and sell what you believe in,” Callahan said. “I’m not saying it’s the answer or why we win or why we lose or why we fail. It gives us a system that we can refer to.
“We pound it. We believe it.”