Athletes - John Wooden

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	Athletes - John Wooden

John Robert Wooden (born October 14, 1910, in Hall, Indiana) is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (Class of 1961) and a coach (Class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories; only Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman have since been so honored. He is often regarded as the greatest college coach in history and his 10 NCAA National Championships while at UCLA are unmatched.

High School and College

As a player, Wooden played in the basketball-crazed state of Indiana. As a schoolboy, he played at Martinsville High School, where he led his team to the state championship in (1927) and was three time All-State selection. He graduated in 1928. He then entered Purdue University, where he was a three-time All-American guard and a member of Purdue's 1932 national championship team (the NCAA did not officially recognize a champion until 1939). John Wooden was also an All-Big Ten and All-Midwestern (1930-32) while at Purdue University. Wooden was also selected for membership in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Wooden was nicknamed "The Indiana Rubber Man" for his suicidal dives on the hardcourt. Wooden graduated from Purdue with a degree in English. He spurned offers to become a professional and began teaching and coaching in the high school ranks. He had a record of 218-42 as a high school coach. He gained the rank of lieutenant during World War II.

Coaching Career

After the war, Wooden coached at Indiana State University before taking the head coaching position at UCLA.

UCLA

At UCLA, Wooden gained lasting fame, having won 665 games and ten NCAA titles in twelve seasons, including 7 in a row from 1967 to 1973. His UCLA teams also had a record winning streak of 88 games, four perfect 30-0 seasons, and won 38 straight games in the NCAA Tournament. In 1972, he received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Westwood", Wooden retired immediately after his 10th title in 1975. He was married to his wife Nellie for 53 years, until her death in 1985.

Seven Point Creed

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
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 has authored a lecture and a book about the . The Pyramid of success consists of philosophical building blocks for winning at basketball and at life. He is also the author of several other books about basketball and life.

The Wooden Championships

Legacy

The John Wooden era at UCLA is unrivaled in terms of national championships (the next-closest school, Kentucky, won 7 championships over a 50-year period; the next-winningest coach, Adolph Rupp, won four; Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski, have three titles each) and undefeated seasons (Wooden had four, no other coach has more than one).

Honors

Since 1977, the college basketball player of the year award has been named the John R. Wooden Award.

Two annual doubleheader men's basketball events called the and are held in Wooden's honor.

In 2003, UCLA dedicated the basketball court in Pauley Pavilion in honor of John and Nell Wooden. Wooden also has the gym at Martinsville High School and the student recreation center at UCLA named in his honor.

To this day, Wooden retains the title Head Men's Basketball Coach Emeritus at UCLA, and attends most home games.

Following Wooden

Many would argue that subsequent UCLA coaches have been plagued by the success of Wooden. Wooden's heir at UCLA, Gene Bartow, went 28-5 in 1976 and lost in the national semi-finals, won 85.2% of his games (compared to Wooden's 80.8%) in two years, yet 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 biography, 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 in 1974).

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