John Robert Wooden was an American
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten
NCAAThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at
UCLAThe UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games. He was named national coach of the year six times.
As a player, Wooden was the first to be named basketball All-American three times and he won a national championship at Purdue. Wooden was named a member of the
Basketball Hall of FameThe Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
as a player (inducted in 1961) and as a coach (in 1973), the first person ever enshrined in both categories. Only
Lenny WilkensLeonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens is a retired American basketball player and coach in the NBA...
and
Bill SharmanWilliam Walton "Bill" Sharman is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest...
have since had the same honor.
He was one of the most revered coaches and was beloved by his former players, among them Kareem Abdul Jabbar and
Bill WaltonWilliam Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
. Wooden was renowned for his short, simple inspirational messages to his players, including his "Pyramid of Success." These often were directed at how to be a success in life as well as in basketball.
Early life and playing career
Born in 1910 in the town of
Hall, IndianaHall is an unincorporated town in Gregg Township, Morgan County, Indiana. It is noted for being the birthplace of legendary college basketball coach John Wooden....
, Wooden moved with his family to a small farm in
CentertonCenterton is an unincorporated town in Clay Township, Morgan County, Indiana.-Education:Grade school students attend Centerton Elementary School, a part of the MSD of Martinsville. Students from Centerton attend Martinsville East Middle School and Martinsville High School in Martinsville, Indiana...
in 1918. As a boy one of his role models was
Fuzzy VandivierRobert P. "Fuzzy" Vandivier was a well-known high school and collegiate basketball player during the 1920s...
of the
Franklin Wonder FiveThe Franklin Wonder Five was a 1920s basketball team from Indiana's "Hoosier Hysteria" era. With basketball king in Indiana, the team from Franklin was dubbed the “Wonder Five”. This small town about 20 miles south of Indianapolis produced a team that captured the Indiana State Basketball...
, a legendary basketball team that dominated Indiana high school basketball from 1919 to 1922. After his family moved to the town of
MartinsvilleMartinsville is a city in and the county seat of Morgan County, Indiana, United States; the population was 11,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
when he was 14, he led the high school team to the
state championship finals1911 - Crawfordsville 1912 - Lebanon 1913 - Wingate 1914 - Wingate 1915 - Thorntown 1916 - Lafayette 1917 – Lebanon 1918 - Lebanon 1919 - Bloomington 1920 - Franklin1921 - Franklin 1922 - Franklin 1923 - Vincennes 1924 - Martinsville...
for three consecutive years, winning the tournament in 1927. He was a three time All-State selection.
After graduating in 1928, he attended
Purdue UniversityPurdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
and was coached by
Ward "Piggy" LambertWard Louis "Piggy" Lambert was an American college men's basketball coach. He was born in Deadwood, South Dakota. In 1890, Lambert and his family moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana. He played basketball at Crawfordsville High School and Wabash College, both under coach Ralph Jones, who himself...
. He helped lead the
BoilermakersThe Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball holds the record for most Big Ten Championships with 22, along with being the only program in the conference to boast winning records...
to the 1932 National Championship, as determined by a panel vote rather than the NCAA tournament, which did not begin until 1939. John Wooden was named All-Big Ten and All-Midwestern (1930–32) while at Purdue, and he was the first player ever to be named a three-time consensus All-American. He was also selected for membership in the
Beta Theta PiBeta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
fraternity. Wooden is also an honorary member of the International Co-Ed Fraternity
Alpha Phi OmegaAlpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...
. Wooden was nicknamed "The Indiana Rubber Man" for his suicidal dives on the hardcourt. He graduated from Purdue in 1932 with a degree in English.
After college, Wooden spent several years playing professionally with the Indianapolis Kautskys (later the
Indianapolis JetsThe Indianapolis Jets were a Basketball Association of America team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team lasted for one season and was later replaced by a new franchise.-Franchise history:...
),
WhitingWhiting is a city located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area in Lake County, Indiana, which was founded in 1889. The city is located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. It is roughly 16 miles from the Chicago Loop and just short of two miles from Chicago's South Side. Whiting is home to Whiting...
Ciesar All-Americans, and
HammondHammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
Ciesar All-Americans while teaching and coaching in the
high schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
ranks. During one 46-game stretch he made 134 consecutive free throws. He was named to the
NBLFounded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
's First Team for the 1937–38 season.
In 1942, during World War II, he joined the
NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He served for nearly three years and left the service as a
lieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
.
In 1961, he was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame for his achievements as a player.
Personal life
Wooden was the son of Roxie Anna and Joshua Hugh Wooden. He had three brothers: Maurice, Daniel, and William. His two sisters died before reaching the age of three. One was unnamed and died in infancy, while Cordelia died from diphtheria when she was two.
Wooden met his future wife, Nellie (Nell) Riley, at a carnival in July 1926. They married in a small ceremony in
IndianapolisIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
in August 1932. Afterwards, they attended a
Mills BrothersThe Mills Brothers, sometimes billed as The Four Mills Brothers, were an American jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century who made more than 2,000 recordings that combined sold more than 50 million copies, and garnered at least three dozen gold records...
concert at the Circle Theatre to celebrate. John and his wife had a son, James Hugh Wooden, and a daughter, Nancy Anne Muehlhausen. Nellie died on March 21, 1985 from cancer.
Wooden remained devoted to Nellie, even decades after her death, until Wooden's own death. Since her death, he kept to a monthly ritual (health permitting)—on the 21st, he visited her grave, and then wrote a love letter to her. After completing the letter, he placed it in an envelope and added it to a stack of similar letters that accumulated over the years on the pillow she slept on during their life together. Wooden only stopped writing the letters in the last months of his life due to failing eyesight.
In mourning Nellie's death, Wooden was comforted by his faith. He was a devout Christian, considering his beliefs more important to him than basketball: "I have always tried to make it clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior." Wooden's faith strongly influenced his life. He read the Bible daily and attended the First Christian Church. He said that he hoped his faith was apparent to others: "If I were ever prosecuted for my religion, I truly hope there would be enough evidence to convict me."
High school
Wooden coached two years at
DaytonDayton is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, along a bend of the Ohio River. The population was 5,966 at the 2000 census. It is less than from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.-Geography:Dayton is located at ....
High School in
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. His first year at Dayton marked the only time he had a losing record (6–11) as a coach. After Dayton, he returned to Indiana, teaching English and coaching basketball at
South Bend Central High SchoolThe South Bend Community School Corporation operates the public schools in South Bend, Indiana, and is one of the largest school corporations in Indiana, with a total of 33 schools.-High schools:*John Adams High School*Clay High School...
until entering the
Armed ForcesThe United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. His high school coaching record over 11 years, two at Dayton and nine at Central, was 218–42.
Indiana State University
After World War II, Wooden coached at Indiana State Teacher's College (now
Indiana State UniversityIndiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
) in
Terre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, from 1946 to 1948, succeeding his high school coach, Glenn Curtis. In addition to his duties as basketball coach, Wooden also coached baseball and served as athletic director, all while teaching and completing his master's degree in Education. In 1947, Wooden's
basketball teamThe Indiana State Sycamores basketball is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. They currently compete in the Missouri Valley Conference...
won the
Indiana Intercollegiate ConferenceThe Indiana Intercollegiate Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1922 to 1950. It consisted of schools in Indiana....
title and received an invitation to the
National Association of Intercollegiate BasketballThe National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIB) National Tournament in Kansas City. Wooden refused the invitation, citing the NAIB's policy banning
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
players. One of Wooden's players was Clarence Walker, an African-American from
East Chicago, IndianaEast Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
.
That same year, Wooden's alma mater Purdue University wanted him to return to campus and serve as an assistant to then-head coach Mel Taube until Taube's contract expired. Then, at that time, Wooden would take over the program. Citing his loyalty to Taube, Wooden declined, as this would have effectively made Taube a
lame-duckA lame duck is an elected official who is approaching the end of his or her tenure, and especially an official whose successor has already been elected.-Description:The status can be due to*having lost a re-election bid...
coach.
In 1948, Wooden again led Indiana State to the conference title. The NAIB had reversed its policy banning African-American players that year, and Wooden coached his team to the NAIB National Tournament final, losing to
LouisvilleThe Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the 18th winningest college basketball team in NCAA Division I history and has the 10th best winning percentage in college basketball history. Currently coached by Rick Pitino, the Cardinals of the University of Louisville have been to 37 NCAA...
. This was the only championship game a Wooden-coached team ever lost. That year, Walker became the first African-American to play in any post-season intercollegiate basketball tournament. John Wooden was inducted into the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame on February 3, 1984.
On Nov 8, 2008; Indiana State officially named the floor at Hulman Center The Nellie and John Wooden Court in honor of the legendary coach and his late wife, Nellie. The ceremony included taped comments from Coach Wooden and the participation of members of his 1946-47 and 1947-48 teams.
The Sycamores christened the newly-named floor by defeating the Albion College (MI) Britons in an exhibition game.
UCLA
After the 1947–48 season, Wooden became the head coach at UCLA, after negotiating for a three-year contract. UCLA had actually been his second choice for a coaching position in 1948. He had also been pursued for the head coaching position at the
University of MinnesotaThe Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905...
, and it was his and his wife's desire to remain in the
MidwestThe Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. But inclement weather in Minnesota prevented Wooden from receiving the scheduled phone offer from the Golden Gophers. Thinking that they had lost interest, Wooden accepted the head coaching job with the Bruins instead. Officials from the University of Minnesota contacted Wooden right after he accepted the position at UCLA, but he declined their offer because he had given his word to the Bruins.
Wooden had immediate success, fashioning an "instant turnaround" for an undistinguished, faltering program. In 1948, he took a UCLA team that had a 12–13 record the previous year and transformed it into a
Pacific Coast ConferenceThe Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
(PCC) Southern Division Champion with a 22–7 record, the most wins in a season for UCLA since it started playing basketball in 1919. He surpassed that number the next season with 24–7 and a second Southern Division Championship and PCC outright, and won a third and fourth straight Southern Division Championship his first four years. Up to that time, UCLA had collected a total of two such championships the previous 30 years.
In spite of these achievements, Wooden reportedly did not initially enjoy his position, and his wife did not favor living in Los Angeles. When Mel Taube left Purdue in 1950, Wooden's inclination was to return and finally accept the head coaching job there. He was ultimately dissuaded when UCLA officials reminded him that it was he who had insisted upon a three-year commitment during negotiations in 1948. Wooden felt that leaving UCLA prior to the expiration of his contract would be tantamount to breaking his word.
By the 1955-56 season, Wooden had established a sustained success at UCLA. That year, he guided the team to its first undefeated PCC conference title, and a 17-game winning streak that came to an end only at the hands of
Bill RussellWilliam Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
's
University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
team in the 1956 NCAA Tournament. However, UCLA was unable to advance from this level over the immediately ensuing seasons, finding itself unable to return to the NCAA Tournament as the
Pete NewellPeter Francis Newell was an American college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the University of San Francisco, Michigan State University and the University of California, Berkeley, compiling an overall record of 234 wins and 123 losses...
-coached teams at the
University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
took control of the conference at the end of the decade. Also hampering the fortunes of Wooden's team during that time period was a probation imposed on all UCLA sports in the aftermath of a scandal involving illegal payments made to players on the school's football team, along with USC, Cal and Stanford, resulting in the dismantling of the PCC conference.
By 1962, with the probation no longer in place, Wooden had righted the basketball program's ship and returned his team to the top of the conference. This time, however, they would take the next step, and in so doing, unleash a run of dominance unparalleled in the history of college basketball. A narrow loss, due largely to a controversial foul call, in the semifinal of the 1962 NCAA Tournament convinced Wooden that his Bruins were ready to contend for national championships. Two seasons later, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place when assistant coach Jerry Norman persuaded Wooden that the team's small-sized players and fast-paced offense would be complemented by the adoption of a zone press defense. The result was a dramatic increase in scoring, giving UCLA a powerhouse team that went undefeated on its way to the school's first basketball national championship.
Wooden's team repeated as national champions the following season before the 1966 squad fell briefly, finishing second in the conference. However, the Bruins' 1967 incarnation returned with a vengeance, reclaiming not only the conference title, but the national crown, and then retaining it every season but one until Wooden's retirement in 1975.
Wooden coached what would prove to be his final game in Pauley Pavilion on March 1, 1975, in a 93–59 victory over
StanfordThe Stanford Cardinal Men's Basketball team represents Stanford University, located in Stanford, California, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference. The team has won 13 conference championships , the last in 2004, and one NCAA championship, in 1942...
. Four weeks later, following a 75–74 overtime victory over
LouisvilleThe Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the 18th winningest college basketball team in NCAA Division I history and has the 10th best winning percentage in college basketball history. Currently coached by Rick Pitino, the Cardinals of the University of Louisville have been to 37 NCAA...
in the 1975 NCAA Tournament semifinal game, Wooden announced that he would retire immediately after the championship game.
His legendary coaching career concluded triumphantly, as his team responded with a win over
KentuckyThe Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
to claim Wooden's first career coaching victory over the Wildcats and his unprecedented 10th national championship.
In 2004, a 93-year old Wooden stated that he wouldn't mind coming back as an assistant who could help players with practices and other light duties.
During his tenure with the Bruins, Wooden became known as the "Wizard of Westwood" (although he personally disdained the nickname) and gained lasting fame with UCLA by winning 620 games in 27 seasons and 10 NCAA titles during his last 12 seasons, including seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. His UCLA teams also had a record winning streak of 88 games and four perfect 30–0 seasons. They also won 38 straight games in NCAA Tournaments and 98 straight home game wins at
Pauley PavilionEdwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams...
. Wooden was named NCAA College Basketball's "Coach of the Year" in 1964, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973. In 1967, he was named the
Henry Iba AwardThe Henry Iba Award was established in 1959 to recognize the best college basketball coach of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association . Five nominees are presented and the individual with the most votes receives the award, which is presented in conjunction with the Final Four....
USBWA College Basketball Coach of the Year. In 1972, he shared
Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
magazine's "
Sportsman of the YearSince its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine has annually presented the "Sportsman of the Year" award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Americans are eligible, though in the past the...
" award with
Billie Jean KingBillie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
. He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1973, becoming the first to be honored as both a player and a coach.
"He never made more than $35,000 a year salary (not including camps and speaking engagements), including 1975, the year he won his 10th national championship, and never asked for a raise," wrote
Rick ReillyRichard "Rick" Paul Reilly is an American sportswriter. Long known for being the "back page" columnist for Sports Illustrated, Reilly moved to ESPN on June 1, 2008 where he is a featured columnist for ESPN.com and wrote the back page column for ESPN the Magazine...
of
ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. He was given a Bruin powder blue Mercedes that season as a retirement gift. According to his own writings, Wooden turned down an offer to coach the
Los Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
from owner
Jack Kent CookeJack Kent Cooke was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Los Angeles Kings , and built The Forum in Inglewood, California and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.-Early career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cooke moved with his family to...
that may have been ten times what UCLA was paying him.
Criticism of Wooden with regard to his stewardship of the UCLA basketball program has most often focused on his failure to investigate or curtail his players' involvement with Sam Gilbert, a UCLA booster who was a prominent figure in the players' circle in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. A 1981 investigation by the
Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
found that Gilbert had regularly arranged to procure items such as automobiles, clothing and airline tickets for UCLA players, and in so doing, apparently committed numerous violations of NCAA regulations. The investigation did not uncover evidence that Wooden had explicit personal awareness of Gilbert's activities. However, Gilbert's overall influence in the lives of the players was so well-known, the
Times reporters concluded that if Wooden was not cognizant of the specifics of Gilbert's favors for players, it was only because Wooden made no effort to discover those details. For his part, Wooden acknowledged that he had always felt uneasy about Gilbert's relationship with the players, but steadfastly denied having knowledge at the time of anything done by Gilbert that was in violation of NCAA regulations. He also asserted that both he and UCLA athletic director
J.D. MorganJ. D. Morgan was an American tennis player, coach and athletic director. He was associated with athletics at UCLA for more than 40 years. He played four years of varsity tennis at UCLA from 1938-1941 and served as the school's head tennis coach from 1949-1966, leading the Bruins to eight NCAA...
had advised players to steer clear of Gilbert, but that ultimately they could not control the players' or Gilbert's actions. Given what later came to light, however, Wooden granted that he may have had "tunnel vision" and that he perhaps "trusted too much". Nonetheless, Wooden said that his "conscience [was] clear" with regard to his own role in the matter.
Head coaching record
Wooden championships
| Year |
Record |
Final Opponent |
Final Score |
Notes |
| 1964 The 1964 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 9, 1964, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in Kansas...
|
30–0 |
Duke |
98–83 |
John Wooden wins his first national title in his sixteenth season at UCLA. Senior Walt Hazzard Walter "Walt" Raphael Hazzard Jr. , also known as Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, was an American college, Olympic, and professional basketball player and college basketball coach...
stars for UCLA as the Bruins make a 16–0 run late in the first half to beat Duke and their All-American Jeff Mullins. |
| 1965 The 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1965, and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Portland, Oregon...
|
28–2 |
Michigan The 1964–65 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1964–65 season. The team played its home games at Fielding H. Yost Field House on the school's campus in...
|
91–80 |
The Bruins are led by senior All-American guard Gail Goodrich Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He is best-known for scoring a then record 42 points in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs. Michigan, and his part in the Los Angeles Lakers' 1971–72 season...
and their zone press. Goodrich scores 42 points in the final against Michigan and Cazzie Russell. |
| 1967 The 1967 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1967, and ended with the championship game on March 25 in Louisville, Kentucky...
|
30–0 |
Dayton The Dayton Flyers men's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Ten Conference representing the University of Dayton. They are known for a rivalry with Xavier University, playing for the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy each year.-History:The...
|
79–64 |
The Bruins start a junior and four sophomores, including Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
). UCLA defeats unranked Dayton and Don MayDonald John May is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'4" two-time 2nd team All-American forward from the University of Dayton who was the star of the Flyer team that lost in the 1967 national championship game to Lew Alcindor's UCLA team...
in the title game. |
| 1968 The 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1968, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Los Angeles, California...
|
29–1 |
North CarolinaThe North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State...
|
78–55 |
UCLA's 47-game winning streak comes to an end on January 20 when the Bruins are beaten by HoustonThe 1967–68 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston in the 1967–68 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The team played its home games at Delmar Fieldhouse in Houston for the second consecutive season. This season marked the team's ninth year as an...
and All-American Elvin HayesElvin Ernest Hayes is a retired American basketball player and radio analyst for Houston Cougars men's basketball, where he played college basketball...
in the Astrodome 71–69 in front of the biggest college basketball crowd in NCAA history (52,693) in the nation's first nationally televised regular season college basketball game. The game was known as the Game of the CenturyThe Game of the Century in college basketball was a historical NCAA game between the University of Houston Cougars and the UCLA Bruins played on January 20, 1968 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. It was the first NCAA regular season game broadcast nationwide in prime time...
. Lew Alcindor was limited from having been hospitalized the week before with a scratched cornea. The Bruins, at full strength, avenged the loss in a rematch with Houston in the NCAA semi-finalsThe 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1968, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Los Angeles, California...
, beat the Cougars 101–69. UCLA then defeated North Carolina in the title game to become the only team to win consecutive NCAA championships twice. |
| 1969 The 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky...
|
29–1 |
Purdue-Regular season:During the 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Purdue qualified for the Final Four, where they lost to the UCLA Bruins.-NCAA basketball tournament:*South**Purdue 91, Miami, Ohio 71**Purdue 75, Marquette 73*Final Four...
|
92–72 |
UCLA defeats Wooden's alma mater Purdue and their All-America Rick Mount Richard Carl Mount is a former American basketball player in the American Basketball Association . He was the first high school athlete to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.-Early life:...
in the championship game. UCLA becomes the only school to win three NCAA Basketball Championships in a row and Wooden becomes the first coach to win five NCAA championships. Lew Alcindor finishes his career at UCLA with an 88–2 record. |
| 1970 The 1970 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 7, 1970, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in College Park, Maryland...
|
28–2 |
Jacksonville The Jacksonville University Dolphins are the athletics team of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. The Dolphins participate in NCAA Division I athletics, and are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the National Lacrosse Conference, and as the Pioneer Football League.-Sports...
|
80–69 |
Even with the graduation of Alcindor (Abdul-Jabbar), UCLA wins its fourth in a row. The Bruins come back from a nine-point first half deficit as junior Sidney Wicks Sidney Wicks is a retired American basketball player. A native of California, he played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and played professionally in the National Basketball Association from 1971 to 1981...
outshines Artis GilmoreArtis Gilmore is a retired American Hall of Fame basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association...
in the title game. |
| 1971 The 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in Houston, Texas...
|
29–1 |
VillanovaThis is the article about the men's basketball team from Villanova University. The team has competed since the 1920–21 season. Nicknamed the "Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference and the Philadelphia Big Five. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA...
|
68–62 |
Senior Steve Patterson scores 29 points in the championship game against Villanova and tourney MVP Howard Porter Howard Porter was an American professional basketball player. At 6'8" and 220 pounds, he played as a forward and a center....
as UCLA wins their fifth in a row. In their regional final, UCLA overcomes an 11-point deficit to defeat Long Beach StateThe Long Beach State 49ers Basketball team represents California State University, Long Beach in Long Beach, California. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2007...
, 57–55. |
| 1972 The 1972 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA University Division college basketball. It began on March 11, 1972, and ended with the championship game on March 25 in Los Angeles, California...
|
30–0 |
Florida State |
81–76 |
Sophomore Bill WaltonWilliam Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
leads the Bruins to their sixth championship in a row. The Bruins have a rough time with Florida State and their great ball handler, Otto Petty, in the closest game of all their title wins, but their margin of victory in the NCAA tournament is a record 30.3 points. They become the first team to post three 30–0 seasons. |
| 1973 The 1973 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA University Division college basketball. It began on March 10, 1973, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in St. Louis, Missouri...
|
30–0 |
Memphis State |
87–66 |
The Bruins become the only team in history with back-to-back undefeated seasons as they win their seventh straight. In the championship game, junior Bill Walton hits 21 of 22 field goal attempts and scores 44 points in one of the greatest offensive performances in the history of the NCAA tournament. |
| 1975 The 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in San Diego, California...
|
28–3 |
Kentucky |
92–85 |
Coach Wooden ends his 27-year UCLA coaching career by winning his tenth national championship in 12 years. He announces his retirement during the post-game press conference of the semi-final win against Louisville, and the UCLA players give him a going away present with a win over Kentucky and their captain, Jimmy Dan Conner. For the Bruins, Richard Washington Richard Lee Washington is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'11" center, Washington played high school ball at Benson Tech in Portland, Oregon before starring at UCLA in the 1970s, where he was named NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player following UCLA's 1975...
and Dave MeyersDavid William Meyers is a retired American college basketball forward/center at the University of California, Los Angeles and professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association for the Milwaukee Bucks...
score 28 and 24 points respectively to offset Kevin GreveyKevin Michael Grevey is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'5" swingman, the left-handed Grevey played for the Washington Bullets from 1975-1983 and the Milwaukee Bucks from 1983-1985...
's game-high 34. |
Legacy
The John Wooden era at UCLA is unrivaled in terms of national championships. The next-closest school, on the women's side,
TennesseeThe Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition...
, has won eight championships with the next-winningest coach,
Pat SummittPatricia "Pat" Head Summitt is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history of either a men's or women's team in any division...
. For men's basketball,
Adolph RuppAdolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
and
Mike Krzyzewski have won four national championships; Bob Knight has won three titles and has an undefeated season (Wooden had four perfect seasons, with
Geno AuriemmaLuigi "Geno" Auriemma is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, which he has led to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championships...
also having four with the
Connecticut women's teamThe Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represents the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut in NCAA women's basketball competition. Under head coach Geno Auriemma, the Huskies have won 7 NCAA Division I national championships, advanced to 12 Final Fours, and won over 30 Big...
; no other men's or women's Division I coach has more than one).
UCLA celebrates John Wooden Day every February 29.
In 2009, John R. Wooden was named The Sporting News "Greatest Coach of All Time".
Honors
Wooden has been recognized numerous times for his achievements. After his coaching career ended UCLA continued to honor Wooden with the title of Head Men's Basketball Coach
EmeritusEmeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
On November 17, 2006, Wooden was recognized for his impact on college basketball as a member of the founding class of the
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of FameThe National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National Association of Basketball Coaches , located at the Sprint...
. He was one of five, along with
Oscar RobertsonOscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
,
Bill RussellWilliam Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
,
Dean SmithDean Edwards Smith is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel...
and Dr. James Naismith, selected to represent the inaugural class. He was inducted into the
Missouri Valley ConferenceThe Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009 in St. Louis. Coach Wooden was the ninth honoree in the Missouri Valley Conference's Lifetime Achievement category. Wooden said the honor he was most proud of was "Outstanding Basketball Coach of the U.S." by his denomination, the Christian Church.
Since 1977, the most coveted of four college basketball player of the year awards has been named the
John R. Wooden AwardThe John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los...
. This award has attained the status of being the equivalent of football's Heisman Trophy for college basketball, with the winner announced during a ceremony held at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The MVP award for the McDonald's All-American Game in high-school basketball is named the "John R. Wooden Most Valuable Player Award". Two annual
doubleheaderDoubleheader is used by network television to refer to two games in any sport aired back-to-back on the same network, even though they do not involve the same two teams . A doubleheader purposely coincides with a league's scheduling of "early" and "late" games...
men's basketball events called the "
John R. Wooden ClassicThe John R. Wooden Classic is an annual season-opening men's college basketball competition. Four teams compete in one round of play. The Classic is not considered a tournament since it does not include a championship or consolation game.-History:...
" and the "John R. Wooden Tradition" are held in Wooden's honor.
He has schools and athletic facilities named after him. The gym at his alma mater Martinsville High School bears his name, and in 2005 a high school in the
Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
was renamed to
John R. Wooden High SchoolJohn R. Wooden High School is a public continuation high school located in Reseda in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, USA, within the Los Angeles Unified School District.-History:...
. In 2003, UCLA dedicated the basketball court in
Pauley PavilionEdwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams...
in honor of John and Nell Wooden. Named the "Nell & John Wooden Court," Wooden asked for the change from the original proposal of the "John & Nell Wooden Court," insisting that his wife's name should come first. In 2008, Indiana State also bestowed this honor on Wooden by naming their home court in the
Hulman CenterHulman Center is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. Initially named the Hulman Civic-University Center, the facility opened on December 14, 1973. Funded by donations and bond issues after an initial $2.5 million challenge gift from philanthropist Tony Hulman and the...
the "Nellie and John Wooden Court." The student recreation center at UCLA is also named in his honor. Also in 2008, Wooden was honored with a commemorative bronze plaque in the
Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumThe Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
Memorial Court of Honor because his UCLA basketball teams played six seasons in the
Los Angeles Memorial Sports ArenaThe Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in the University Park neighborhood, of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park. It is located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, just south of the campus of the University of Southern California.-History:The Los Angeles...
. On Wooden's 96th birthday in 2006, a post office in Reseda, California, near where Wooden's daughter lives, was renamed the Coach John Wooden Post Office. This act was signed by President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
based on legislation introduced by Congressman
Brad ShermanBradley J. "Brad" Sherman is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing ....
.
On July 23, 2003, John Wooden received the
Presidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
, the nation's highest civilian honor. It was presented by
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
after a three-year campaign by Andre McCarter, who was on Wooden's 1975 National Championship team. The Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership at
California State University, Long BeachCalifornia State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
established the John Wooden Ethics in Leadership Award in 2009, with Wooden being the inaugural recipient. In 1986 John Wooden was honored as an Outstanding Alumnus of the School of Liberal Arts at Purdue University – the first year the award was given.
On October 14, 2010, the Undergraduate Student Association Council of UCLA held a "John Wooden Day Celebration" to honor Wooden's 100th birthday and to commemorate his contributions to the university. A portion of the Morgan Center was set apart as a recreation of Wooden's office to honor his memory on campus.
Golf DigestGolf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
lists John Wooden as one of four people to hit both a double eagle and a
hole in oneIn golf, a hole in one or hole-in-one is when a player hits the ball directly from the tee into the cup with one shot. This is most possible on a par 3 hole. Longer hitters have accomplished this feat on shorter par 4 holes...
in the same round of
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. The feat was accomplished in 1947 at the South Bend Country Club in
South Bend, IndianaThe city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
.
The flagship leadership development program of Wooden’s fraternity,
Beta Theta PiBeta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
, is named "The John and Nellie Wooden Institute for Men of Principle" after Coach Wooden and his wife, Nellie. Coach Wooden’s maxims and Creed are central to the teaching of leadership development at the Institute.
Following Wooden
Four coaches left UCLA in the nine years following Wooden. One former UCLA head coach, former
ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
analyst and current St. John's head coach
Steve LavinSteve Lavin is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University in Queens, New York. Lavin previously served as the head coach for UCLA....
(fired from UCLA in 2003), has said "The mythology and
pathologyPathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
of UCLA basketball isn't going to change" due to Wooden's legacy and believes that every basketball coach will eventually be fired or forced out from UCLA.
Wooden's immediate successor at UCLA,
Gene BartowGene Bartow is a former men's college basketball coach. The Browning, Missouri, native coached 36 years at six universities after coaching two high schools in Missouri for six years.-High school:...
, went 28–5 in 1976, but was blown out twice that season by the eventual national champions Indiana, the second time in the '76 Final Four, and lost 76–75 in the 1977 West Region semi-finals to
Idaho State UniversityIdaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....
.
Bartow won 85.2% of his games (compared to Wooden's 80.8%) in two years, yet supposedly received death threats from unsatisfied UCLA fans. Wooden himself has often joked about being a victim of his own success, calling his successors on the phone and playfully identifying himself ominously as "we the alumni..." In his autobiography, Wooden recounts walking off the court after his last game coaching in 1975, having just won his tenth title, only to have a UCLA fan walk up and say, "Great win coach, this makes up for letting us down last year" (UCLA had lost in the semi-finals double overtime in 1974) Bartow's successor, Wooden's protege, Gary Cunningham, posted an even better two year record after Bartow, .862 (50–8) and No. 2 rankings each year, but could not proceed past two wins in the NCAA's, and left. Larry Brown came next, racking up more losses, 17, in two years than UCLA had experienced the previous four, yet with a near magical end season run typical of his career, he managed to coach UCLA into the title game in 1980. He left.
UCLA went 20 years after Wooden's retirement before winning another national basketball championship, finally hanging a banner again in 1995 under coach
Jim HarrickJim Harrick is an American former basketball coach who coached at Pepperdine University, UCLA, the University of Rhode Island and the University of Georgia over a combined total of 23 seasons.-Biography:...
. In 2006,
Ben HowlandBen Howland is an American college head coach of men's basketball.He has been the head coach of the University of California, Los Angeles since 2003, and in 2008 signed an extension of his contract to run through 2015. Aggressive man-to-man defense is the trademark of Ben Howland-coached...
led the team back to the national championship game for the first time since the 1995 title game.
Health and death
Wooden was in good health until the final years of his life. On April 3, 2006, he spent three days in a Los Angeles hospital receiving treatment for
diverticulitisDiverticulitis is a common digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches on the outside of the colon...
. He was hospitalized again in 2007 for bleeding in the colon, with his daughter quoted as saying her father was "doing well" upon his subsequent release. Wooden was hospitalized on March 1, 2008, after a fall in his home. He broke his left wrist and his collarbone in the fall, but remained in good condition according to his daughter and was given around-the-clock supervision. In February, 2009, he was hospitalized for four weeks with pneumonia.
On May 26, 2010, Wooden was admitted to the
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical CenterThe Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California....
after suffering from dehydration and remained hospitalized there until his death the following week. He died of natural causes on June 4, 2010, at the age of 99. Wooden was interred at
Forest Lawn Memorial ParkForest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
following a private ceremony, and a public memorial service was held two weeks later at UCLA's
Pauley PavilionEdwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams...
.
Seven Point Creed
John Wooden's Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from
grammar schoolA grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
:
- Be true to yourself.
- Make each day your masterpiece.
- Help others.
- Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
- Make friendship a fine art.
- Build a shelter against a rainy day.
- Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
Wooden also authored a lecture and a book about the Pyramid of Success. The Pyramid of Success consists of philosophical building blocks for winning at basketball and at life. In his later years he was hired by corporations to deliver inspirational lectures and even appeared in commercials for Hartford Insurance and the NCAA. Following his death, all UCLA teams wore either a patch or helmet sticker with the initials "JRW" inside a black pyramid, in honor of his philosophy. It is generally known that he received lecture fees that exceeded the salaries he was paid as a coach. Wooden proudly claimed that these late in life windfalls allowed him to set up education accounts for all of his grandchildren. In a 2009 interview, John Wooden described himself politically as a "liberal Democrat," who had voted for some Republican presidential candidates. At the top of the Pyramid of Success was "Competitive Greatness" which Wooden defined as "Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required each day."
Wooden was also the author of several other books about basketball and life.
Among Wooden's maxims:
- Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
- Flexibility is the key to stability.
- Be quick, but don't hurry.
Publications
- Coach John Wooden and Don Yaeger (2009) A Game Plan for Life, Bloomsbury USA, ISBN 978-1-59-691701-9
- John Wooden (2009) Coach Wooden's Leadership Game Plan for Success: 12 Lessons for Extraordinary Performance and Personal Excellence, McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-162614-9
- John Wooden with Steve Jamison (2006) The Essential Wooden, McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-148435-0
- John Wooden (2005) Wooden on Leadership, McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-145339-4
- John Wooden with Steve Jamison (2004) My Personal Best, McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-143792-9
- John Wooden (2003) They Call Me Coach, McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-142491-2
- John Wooden with Steve Jamison (1997) Wooden, McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-8092-3041-9
- John Wooden (1966) Practical Modern Basketball. The Ronald Press Company.
External links