John Wooden

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John Wooden
John Wooden on UCLA sideline with game program
Date of birth October 14, 1910
Place of birth Hall, Indiana
Sport Basketball
College UCLA
Title Head coach
Overall Record 885-203
Awards 2006 founding class, College Basketball Hall of Fame
1972 National Basketball Hall of Fame as a Coach
6 time NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year
1930 Basketball All-American
1931 Basketball All-American
1932 Basketball All-American
1932 College Basketball Player of the Year
1960 National Basketball Hall of Fame as a Player
Championships
  won		 1964 NCAA National Championship
1965 NCAA National Championship
1967 NCAA National Championship
1968 NCAA National Championship
1969 NCAA National Championship
1970 NCAA National Championship
1971 NCAA National Championship
1972 NCAA National Championship
1973 NCAA National Championship
1975 NCAA National Championship
School as a player
1929-32 Purdue University
Position Guard
Schools as a coach
1946-48
1948-75		 Indiana State University
UCLA

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 widely regarded as the greatest college coach in history and his 10 NCAA National Championships while at UCLA are unmatched.

Contents

[edit] High School and college

As a high school student, Wooden played in Indiana where he led the Martinsville High School team to the state championship final three consecutive years, winning the tournament in 1927. He was a three time All-State selection. After graduating in 1928 he 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 an All-Big Ten and All-Midwestern (1930-32) while at Purdue University. He 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. He graduated from Purdue in 1932 with a degree in English, and later earned his Masters Degree at Indiana State Teacher's College (now Indiana State University) where he spent 1946-48 as athletic director and basketball coach.

After college Wooden spent several years playing professionally with the Indianapolis Kautskys (later the Indianapolis Jets), Whiting Ciesar All-Americans, and Hammond Ciesar All-Americans while teaching and coaching in the high school ranks. During one 46 game stretch he made 134 consecutive free throws. In 1942 he enlisted in the Navy where he gained the rank of lieutenant during World War II.

[edit] Coaching career

[edit] High school

Wooden coached two years at Dayton High School in Kentucky. His first year at Dayton would be the only time he would have a losing record (6-11). After Dayton he returned to Indiana, teaching English and coaching basketball at South Bend Central High School until entering the Armed Forces. His high school coaching record was 218-42.

[edit] Indiana State University

After the war, Wooden coached at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana from 1946 to 1948, succeeding his high school coach, Glenn Curtis, who became head coach of the professional Detroit Falcons. Wooden also coached baseball and served as athletic director. In 1947, Wooden's basketball team won the conference title and received an invitation to the NAIB National Tournament in Kansas City. Wooden refused the invitation citing the NAIB's policy banning African American players. A member on the Indiana State Sycamores' team was Clarence Walker, an African-American athlete from East Chicago, Indiana. In 1948 the NAIB changed this policy and Wooden guided his team to the NAIB final, losing to Louisville. 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.

[edit] UCLA

In 1948 Wooden accepted the coaching position at UCLA where he gained lasting fame, winning 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. John Wooden coached what would be his final game in Pauley Pavilion March 1st, 1975 in a 93-59 victory over Stanford. Four weeks later he would surprisingly announce his retirement following the NCAA semi-final victory against the University of Louisville and before his 10th National championship victory against Kentucky.

UCLA had actually been Wooden's second choice for a coaching position in 1948. He was also pursued for a coaching position by the University of Minnesota, and it was his and wife Nellie's desire to remain in the Midwest. Inclement weather prevented Wooden from receiving the scheduled phone offer from the U of M, and thinking they had lost interest, Wooden accepted the UCLA position.

He was married to his wife Nellie for 53 years, until her death in 1985.

[edit] 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 Pyramid of Success [1]. 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.

[edit] The Wooden Championships

Year Record Final Opponent Final Score Notes
1964 30-0 Duke 98-83 John Wooden's first NCAA Basketball Championship.
1965 28-2 Michigan 91-80 UCLA becomes one of the few schools to win two in a row.
1967 30-0 Dayton 79-64 The start of the Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) era.
1968 29-1 North Carolina 78-55 UCLA's 47 game winning streak came to an end in January when the Bruins were beaten by Houston in the Astrodome 71-69. In a rematch in the NCAA semi-finals, UCLA won 101-69.
1969 29-1 Purdue 92-72 UCLA becomes the only school to win three NCAA Basketball Championships in a row.
1970 28-2 Jacksonville 80-69 Even with the graduation of Alcindor (Abdul-Jabbar), UCLA wins again — its fourth in a row.
1971 29-1 Villanova 68-62 Five in a row.
1972 30-0 Florida State 81-76 The start of the Bill Walton era. UCLA wins its sixth in a row.
1973 30-0 Memphis State 87-66 Seven in a row. Only team in history with back-to-back undefeated seasons.
1975 28-3 Kentucky 92-85 Wooden ends his career with one final NCAA title.

[edit] Legacy

John Wooden (center) with former Bruins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.
Enlarge
John Wooden (center) with former Bruins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.

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).

[edit] 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 "John R. Wooden Classic"[2] and "The Wooden Tradition"[3] 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.

December 18, 2005, Congressman Brad Sherman introduced a legislation that would rename a post office the San Fernando Valley in honor of Wooden. The post office near Wooden's long-time home in Encino had already been named in 2002 for another basketball Hall of Famer, the late Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn. However, Coach Wooden's daughter, Nancy Muehlhausen, lives in nearby Reseda. On August 17, 2006, it was announced that President George W. Bush had signed the legislation[4] enacting Sherman's proposal into law. The post office at 7320 Reseda Boulevard was named the Coach John Wooden Post Office on October 14, 2006 - Wooden's 96th birthday.

To this day, Wooden retains the title Head Men's Basketball Coach Emeritus at UCLA[5], and attends most home games.

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 Fame. He was one of five, along with Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Dean Smith and Dr. James Naismith, selected to represent the inaugural class[6].

[edit] 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)[7]

Four coaches left UCLA in the nine years following Wooden, and none of the seven former UCLA coaches since Wooden have left the school on positive terms.

One former UCLA head coach, ESPN analyst Steve Lavin (fired from UCLA in 2003), has called this post-Wooden phenomenon a "pathology," and believes that every basketball coach will eventually be fired or forced out from UCLA.

UCLA Basketball went 20 years after Wooden's retirement before winning another national championship, finally hanging a banner again in 1995 under coach Jim Harrick. Harrick was terminated by UCLA for an NCAA violation 18 months later.

In 2006, Ben Howland led the team back to the national championship game for the first time since the 1995 title game. On April 3rd, ESPN's Andy Katz reported that John Wooden was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital for "non-life-threatening" reasons. Katz asserted Wooden would most certainly watch the NCAA National Championship from his hospital bed.

[edit] Praise and criticism

Although Wooden is highly respected, his career has not been without some controversy. In his later years at UCLA the image of Wooden was that of a soft spoken, grandfather-like figure. In his younger days as UCLA coach, however, Wooden was known as one of the great baiters of referees, although he reportedly never used profanity. Critics of Wooden have also speculated how much Wooden knew about the exploits of a UCLA booster, Sam Gilbert, who allegedly helped some UCLA players financially, possibly in violation of NCAA rules in effect at that time.

[edit] Quotes

  • "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."
  • "In anything, failure to prepare is preparing to fail."
  • "Be quick, but don't hurry."
  • "Talent is God – given. Be humble. Fame is man - given. Be grateful. Conceit is self - given. Be careful."
  • "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Pyramid Of Success.
  2. ^ John R. Wooden Classic.
  3. ^ The Wooden Tradition.
  4. ^ UCLABruins.com
  5. ^ UCLA Directory
  6. ^ http://nabc.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/111806aaa.html
  7. ^ Wooden, John. They Call Me Coach . McGraw-Hill, 2004. ISBN 0-07-142491-1

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Preceded by
Glenn Curtis		 Indiana State Head Men's Basketball Coach
1946 – 1948		 Succeeded by
John Longfellow
Preceded by
Wilbur Johns		 UCLA Head Men's Basketball Coach
1948 – 1975		 Succeeded by
Gene Bartow


UCLA Bruins Head Basketball Coaches
Cozens • Works • Johns • Wooden • Bartow • Cunningham • Brown • Farmer • Hazzard • Harrick • Lavin • Howland
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