Jay Wilkinson Motivational Speaker "Letters from Bud" Gaining Greatness

From the Foreword
by Mike Krzyzewski
Head Basketball Coach
Duke University

Imagine receiving letters from your parent filled with guidance, encouragement, and love while you are learning and becoming an adult - knowing each day that someone believes in you and is there to help you. It is positive learning at its best.

I love the manner in which Coach Wilkinson explained his philosophy of life. He was able to teach and not preach lessons on a value-based life. He knew that when these lessons were embraced by his son, they would lead to success and happiness. It seems so simple: “Do what is right and be confident enough to follow your instincts. I will always be there for you.” Coach Wilkinson was.

For Jay to share these treasured letters with all of us is a remarkable gift.

The New Book

College football fans know Bud Wilkinson as the legendary University of Oklahoma football coach who still holds the record for forty-seven straight victories. In Dear Jay, Love Dad, readers discover a devoted father as Bud’s younger son Jay shares forty-seven letters his father wrote to him while he was in college and graduate school. Spanning the early to mid-1960s, these letters reveal Bud’s deep love for his son, as well as the philosophy and values that led to his remarkable success in sports and in life.

This collection shows a father guiding his son toward his own path while stressing the importance of service to others. The embodiment of the scholar-athlete, Bud mixes encouragement with intellectual discussions. When Jay reads American philosopher William James for a class, his father also reads the book and uses its insights to help Jay deal with the challenges of his freshman year. Bud writes about his own challenges including his debate over whether to accept the Kennedy administration’s invitation to head the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. Jay’s comments about each letter provide context and further insight.

While Jay is a graduate student at the Episcopal Theological School, Bud reflects on the philosophical issues of the day and on his unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in 1964. His belief that the greatest leaders are not always the most popular made him an unlikely politician even then, but a wonderful role model for his son. Bud’s thoughts on ethics in business and politics are as inspiring today as when he wrote them a half-century ago.

This book is for readers of all ages and all walks of life. Bud Wilkinson’s philosophy on life is as meaningful today as it was when he wrote these remarkable letters.

To order your advanced copy of the book, go to our on-line store.

The Original Book

(From the front flap of the book)

Bud Wilkinson, Bear Bryant, and Woody Hayes--the names that come to mind when the talk turns to great collegiate football coaches. Hayes and Bryant were always great copy. But while Woody and Bear were building colorful coaching careers, Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson was, with patience, courtesy, consistency and poise, building of America's finest football machines--and a record even Bear and woody couldn't match. From 1949 to 1950, the Sooners held the longest winning streak in the history of college football--31 games.

This amazing feat, however, was only a harbinger of things to come, for between 1953 and 1957, Oklahoma won an unprecedented 47 consecutive regular and post-season games. The Sooner win streak has been football's most elusive record of (more than 50) years, and no modern team presently has a chance to equal it.

Wilkinson left college coaching when he was only 47, moving on to a post-football career that spanned service to Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Bush; a race for the U.S. Senate; 20 years as a television sports commentator, a sting as head coach of the St. Louis Football Cardinals; tenure as chairman of the United States Gymnastics Federation; and an appointment as chairman of the board of two highly successful companies.

Wilkinson achieved the American Dream playing by the rules; no shortcuts or quick fixes. While he attained his success, Wilkinson never overlooked his role as a father. As American search for success and role models, a retrospective view of Bud Wilkinson offers a road map to the top, and a look at a durable American Hero.

A limited number of copies of Bud Wilkinson: An Intimate Portrait of an American Legend are still available and you can buy your copy today in our store.

Making a determined, all-out effort and still falling short in the outcome can strengthen character beyond any other experience, if one learns to move forward again with an even greater determination, even in the most trying of circumstances.
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The number “47” resonates throughout the lives of both Jay and Bud Wilkinson. Not only does the number represent a historic winning streak, but also added together creates a formula that anyone can use to achieve professional and personal success.
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With his two books now on the subject of his legendary father, Jay Wilkinson has probed the depths of the character and values which made Bud Wilkinson an American legend in his day and a role model for all time.
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Greatness is not alone defined by exceptional performance under exceptional circumstances. Greatness is universally achievable through values, preparation, attitude and perseverance. Each individual has the potential for gaining greatness.
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