John Wooden, 1910–2010

 

John Wooden won almost twice as many NCAA basketball championships from 1966 to 1973 than any other coach has won over an entire career. If ever a sport were in debt to an individual, college basketball owes that debt to UCLA Coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden died on Friday, June 4, at the age of ninety-nine.

The superlatives attached to Wooden's career are vast, including an eighty-eight-game winning streak that began in January 1971, after a loss to Notre Dame, and ended in January 1974, with another loss to Notre Dame. Prior to coaching UCLA into basketball greatness, Wooden had taught high school and served in the U.S. Navy. In 2003, President George W. Bush awarded Wooden the Medal of Freedom. 

President Barack Obama said, ”I’m saddened to hear of the passing of an incredible coach, and an even better man, John Wooden. As a basketball fan, I remember fondly his ten NCAA championships, his unrivaled winning streak at UCLA, and the caliber of players he mentored. But as an American, I salute the way he achieved all that success—with modesty, and humility, and by wholeheartedly dedicating his life to the betterment of others."

 - Warren Perry 

John Robert Wooden / Jason Hailey / Chromogenic print, 1975 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; partial gift of Jason Hailey, photographer

Comments

[Seo Carlsbad]

I had the chance to meet John Wooden nearly three years ago when he came to speak to my Sports Business class at the University of Southern California (crosstown rival of Wooden’s UCLA). Rivalry was the last thing on anyone’s mind that night. At 96, he was physically frail, but his mind was as sharp as could be. The room was absolutely packed (this particular night was one of the few where family members of students were allowed to attend class), and for two hours, we sat and watched him speak. Just to be in his presence was surreal. After class, I shook his hand and let him know what an honor it was to meet him. It was a moment that lasted less than a minute, but one I will remember forever. The man was a legend. It’s not often you get to meet someone like John Wooden.