 Wooden, c. 1972 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 14, 1910 Hall, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 4, 2010 (aged 99) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Basketball | |
| 1929–1932 | Purdue |
| 1932–1937 | Indianapolis Kautskys |
| 1937–1938 | Whiting / Hammond Ciesar All-Americans |
| 1938–1939 | Indianapolis Kautskys |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Basketball | |
| 1933–1935 | Dayton HS |
| 1935–1944 | South Bend Central HS |
| 1946–1948 | Indiana State |
| 1948–1975 | UCLA |
| Baseball | |
| 1948 | Indiana State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1946–1948 | Indiana State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 664–162 (college basketball) 7–7 (college baseball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
As player:
As head coach:
| |
| Awards | |
| |
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1960 (as a player) 1973 (as a coach) | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | US Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head coach for the UCLA Bruins, including a record seven in a row. No other team has won more than four in a row in Division I college men's or women's basketball.[1][2][3][4] Within this period, his teams won an NCAA men's basketball record 88 consecutive games. Wooden won the prestigious Henry Iba Award as national coach of the year a record seven times and won the Associated Press award five times.
As a 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m) guard[5] with the Purdue Boilermakers, Wooden was the first college basketball player to be named an All-American three times, and the 1932 Purdue team on which he played as a senior was retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA tournament national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.[6][7] He played professionally in the National Basketball League (NBL). Wooden was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player (1960) and as a coach (1973), the first person to be enshrined in both categories.[a]
One of the most revered coaches in the history of sports,[2] Wooden was beloved by his former players, among them Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton. Wooden was renowned for his short, simple inspirational messages to his players (including his "Pyramid of Success") many of which were directed at how to be a success in life as well as in basketball. Wooden's 29-year coaching career and overwhelming critical acclaim for his leadership have created a legacy not only in sports but also extending to business, personal success, and organizational leadership.[2]
- ^ Jenkins, Pat Summitt ; with Sally (2013). Sum it up : 1,098 victories, a couple of irrelevant losses, and a life in perspective (Paperback ed.). Crown Publishing Group. p. 383. ISBN 9780385347051.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "John Wooden, former UCLA coach, dies". Associated Press. June 5, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ "John Wooden: A Coaching Legend". UCLABruins.com (official athletic site of the UCLA Bruins). Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
- ^ Mike Puma (2007). "Sportscentury Biography: Wizard of Westwood". ESPN. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- ^ "John Wooden".
- ^ "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball – NCAA Division I Champions". Rauzulu's Street. 2004. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 542. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ "Lenny Wilkens Coach Bio". NBA. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
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