John Wooden: Difference between revisions

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As a {{convert|5|ft|10|in|adj=on}} [[Guard (basketball)|guard]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://probasketballencyclopedia.com/player/john-wooden/ | title=John Wooden }}</ref> with the [[Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball|Purdue Boilermakers]], Wooden was the first college basketball player to be named an [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] three times, and the [[1931–32 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team|1932 Purdue team]] on which he played as a senior was retroactively recognized as the pre-[[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA tournament]] national champion by the [[Helms Athletic Foundation]] and the [[Premo-Porretta Power Poll]].<ref>{{cite web| title =NCAA Division I Men's Basketball – NCAA Division I Champions| publisher =Rauzulu's Street| year=2004| url =http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/basketball/college/helmscollegechampionship.htm| access-date =June 17, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game|editor-last=ESPN|publisher=ESPN Books|location=New York, NY|year=2009|page=542|isbn=978-0-345-51392-2}}</ref> He played professionally in the [[National Basketball League (United States)|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 ever enshrined in both categories.{{efn|[[Lenny Wilkens]], [[Bill Sharman]], [[Tommy Heinsohn]], and [[Bill Russell]] are the only other basketball players who have since achieved the same honors.<ref name="NBA">{{cite web |url = http://www.nba.com/coachfile/lenny_wilkens/ |title = Lenny Wilkens Coach Bio |publisher = [[NBA]] |access-date = January 24, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150404083322/http://www.nba.com/coachfile/lenny_wilkens/ |archive-date = April 4, 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref>}}

After graduating from high school in 1928, he attended [[Purdue University]] and was coached by [[Ward Lambert|Ward "Piggy" Lambert]]. The [[1931–32 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team|1932 Purdue team]] on which he played as a senior was retroactively recognized as the pre-[[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA tournament]] national champion by the [[Helms Athletic Foundation]] and the [[Premo-Porretta Power Poll|Premo-Poretta Power Poll]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/D1.pdf |title = Division&nbsp;I Records |publisher = [[NCAA]] |page = 82 |year = 2009 |access-date = January 24, 2010}}</ref> 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.<ref name="CW1930-32">{{cite web |url = http://www.coachwooden.com/ |title = The Journey – A Brief Professional and Personal History Timeline – 1930–1932 |publisher = CoachWooden.com – The Official Site of Coach John Wooden |access-date = January 24, 2010}}</ref> In 1932, he was awarded the [[Big Ten Medal of Honor]], recognizing one student athlete from the graduating class of each Big Ten member school, for demonstrating joint athletic and academic excellence throughout their college career.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 11, 2014|title=Big Ten Conference Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Big Ten Medal of Honor|url=https://bigten.org/news/2014/3/11/big_ten_conference_celebrates_100th_anniversary_of_big_ten_medal_of_honor.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205151921/https://bigten.org/news/2014/3/11/big_ten_conference_celebrates_100th_anniversary_of_big_ten_medal_of_honor.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 5, 2021}}</ref> He was also selected for membership in the [[Beta Theta Pi]] fraternity.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.purduebetas.com/history.htm |title = Chapter History |author = Purdue Beta Theta Pi |access-date = January 30, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091121165438/http://www.purduebetas.com/history.htm |archive-date = November 21, 2009 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Wooden is also an honorary member of [[Alpha Phi Omega]] National Service Fraternity.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.apo.org/site/site_files/tnt/1998_fall.pdf |title = President's Message: It's a "New" Fall |author = Wilfred M. Krenek |publisher = Alpha Phi Omega |date =Fall 1998 |access-date = January 30, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928012148/http://www.apo.org/site/site_files/tnt/1998_fall.pdf |archive-date = September 28, 2007 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Wooden was nicknamed "The Indiana Rubber Man" for his suicidal dives on the hardcourt.<ref name="CW1930-32"/> He graduated from Purdue in 1932 with a degree in [[English studies|English]].<ref name="Puma"/>

 

 

During [[World War&nbsp;II]] in 1942, he joined the [[United States Navy]]. He served until 1946 and left the service as a [[lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]].<ref name="Puma"/>

 

[[File:John Wooden - Southern Campus 1960.jpg|thumb|upright|Wooden in 1960]]

 

By the 1955–56 season, Wooden had established a record of 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 [[Phil Woolpert]]'s [[San Francisco Dons men's basketball|University of San Francisco]] team (who had [[Bill Russell]] and [[K.C. Jones]]) that eventually won the [[1956 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|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 Newell]]-coached teams of the [[California Golden Bears men's basketball|California Golden Bears]] took control of the conference and won the [[1959 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1959 NCAA tournament]]. Also hampering the fortunes of Wooden's team during that time period was a probation that was imposed on all UCLA sports teams in the aftermath of a [[Pacific Coast Conference#The crisis|scandal]] that involved illegal payments made to players on the school's football team. The probation was also extended to three additional schools: the University of Southern California, California and Stanford. The scandal resulted in the dismantling of the PCC conference.<ref name="Wolff">{{cite news | author = Alex Wolff | date=June 4, 2010 | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/alexander_wolff/06/03/wooden.1964/index.html | title=How '64 Bruins made John Wooden | publisher = [[SI.com]] |access-date = July 21, 2010}}</ref>

In 2004, a 93-year-old Wooden stated that he would not mind coming back as an assistant who could help players with practices and other light duties.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1031125/2/index.htm | work=CNN | title=Galleries | date=January 19, 2004}}</ref>

 

 

 

==Head coaching record==

| [[1963–64 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team|Duke]]

| 98–83

|-

| [[1965 NCAA University Division basketball tournament|1965]]

When Wooden arrived at UCLA for the 1948–1949 season, he inherited a little-known program that played in a cramped gym. He left it as a national powerhouse with 10 national championships— the most successful rebuilding project in college basketball history. John Wooden ended his UCLA coaching career with a 620–147 overall record and a winning percentage of .808. These figures do not include his two-year record at Indiana State prior to taking over the duties at UCLA.

 

 

==Honors==

In 1976, Wooden received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=John Wooden Biography and Interview |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|date= February 27, 1996|url=https://achievement.org/achiever/john-wooden/}}</ref>

 

 

On Wooden's 96th birthday in 2006, a post office in [[Reseda, Los Angeles|Reseda, California]], near where Wooden's daughter lives, was renamed the Coach John Wooden Post Office.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.advocacy.ucla.edu/events/Coach_Wooden_Post_Office_Dedication.htm |title = Coach John Wooden Post Office Dedication Ceremony |author = UCLA Government & Community Relations |date = October 2006 |access-date = January 30, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100706102658/http://www.advocacy.ucla.edu/events/Coach_Wooden_Post_Office_Dedication.htm |archive-date = July 6, 2010 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> This act was signed by President [[George W. Bush]] based on legislation introduced by Congressman [[Brad Sherman]].<ref name =UCLABruins/>

The flagship leadership development program of Wooden's fraternity, [[Beta Theta Pi]], is named "The John and Nellie Wooden Institute for Men of Principle" after Coach Wooden and his wife, Nellie.<ref>{{cite web | title = The Wooden Institute | url = http://www.betathetapi.org/events/wooden-institute | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101124000132/http://www.betathetapi.org/events/wooden-institute | archive-date = November 24, 2010 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Coach Wooden's maxims and creed are central to the teaching of leadership development at the institute.

 

 

''[[Wooden's Legacy]]'', a 2012 public artwork statue by Jeffrey Rouse, is exhibited in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]].

Bartow won 85.2% of his games (compared to Wooden's 80.8%) in two years, yet supposedly received death threats from unsatisfied UCLA [[Fan (person)|fans]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

 

 

Bartow's successor, Wooden 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 NCAAs, and left. Larry Brown came next, racking up more losses, 17, in two years than UCLA had experienced the previous four. With a near-magical end-of-season run typical of his career, he managed to coach UCLA into the title game in 1980, where the Bruins lost to [[1979–80 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team|Louisville]], coached by [[Denny Crum]]. Coincidentally, Crum had played for Wooden at UCLA before working for him there as an assistant coach. Brown then left UCLA. Former UCLA players Larry Farmer and Walt Hazzard then took turns directing the UCLA program from 1981 to 1988. Hazzard's 1985 team won the [[1985 National Invitation Tournament|National Invitation Tournament]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-former-ucla-nba-star-walt-hazzard-dies-2011nov18-story.html |title=Former UCLA, NBA star Walt Hazzard dies |last=Harris |first=Beth |date=November 18, 2011 |website= The San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date=December 12, 2023 |quote=In 1985, he led them to the school’s first NIT championship.}}</ref>

Wooden met his future wife, Nellie "Nell" Riley, when he was a freshman in high school<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.coachwooden.com/ |title = The Journey – A Brief Professional and Personal History Timeline – July, 1926 |publisher = CoachWooden.com – The Official Site of Coach John Wooden |access-date = January 24, 2010}}</ref> They were both 21 years of age when they married in a small ceremony in [[Indianapolis]] in August 1932 and afterward attended a [[Mills Brothers]] concert at the Circle Theatre to celebrate.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.coachwooden.com/ |title = The Journey – A Brief Professional and Personal History Timeline – August, 1932 |publisher = CoachWooden.com – The Official Site of Coach John Wooden |access-date = January 24, 2010}}</ref> The couple had a son, James Hugh Wooden, and a daughter, Nancy Anne Muehlhausen.<ref name =UCLABruins/> Nellie died on March 21, 1985<ref name =UCLABruins/> from cancer at age 73.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_144599.asp |title = The Ultimate Valentine |author = Roy Exum |date = February 12, 2009 |newspaper = The Chattanoogan |access-date = January 25, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100608134654/http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_144599.asp |archive-date = June 8, 2010 |df = mdy-all }}</ref>

 

 

In mourning Nellie's death, Wooden was comforted by his faith.<ref name="Horowitz">{{cite journal |url = http://www.mitchhorowitz.com/john-wooden.html |author = Mitch Horowitz |author-link = Mitch Horowitz |title = From the Socks Up: The Extraordinary Coaching Life of John Wooden |date = November 2004 |journal = Science of Mind |access-date = February 7, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100226063620/http://www.mitchhorowitz.com/john-wooden.html |archive-date = February 26, 2010 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> He was a devout [[Christians|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."<ref>{{cite book |author= John Wooden |year = 2003 |title = They Call Me Coach |publisher = McGraw-Hill |isbn = 978-0-07-142491-2 }}</ref> Wooden's faith strongly influenced his life. He read the [[Bible]] daily and attended the First Christian Church.<ref name="Horowitz"/> 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."<ref>{{cite book |title = Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and Off the Court |author1 = John Wooden |author2 = Steve Jamison |publisher = McGraw-Hill |isbn = 0-8092-3041-0 |year = 1997 |url = https://archive.org/details/woodenlifetimeof00wood }}</ref>

==Final years and death==

[[File:Johnwooden.jpg|alt= A smiling, elderly man is shown from the waist up. He is shaking someone's hand, but that person is out of the picture. The man is wearing a dark suit with a yellow boutonniere. He has thin white hair and large glasses. He is standing in front of a blue screen that has the script "UCLA" logo on it in yellow letters.|thumb|upright|Wooden at a ceremony on his 96th birthday]]

 

|title=Remembering John Wooden|date=June 5, 2010|work=USA Today|access-date=June 5, 2010}}</ref> He was survived by his son, daughter, three grandsons, four granddaughters, and 13 great-grandchildren. Following a private ceremony, Wooden was interred with his wife Nellie in an outdoor community [[mausoleum]] at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in the [[Hollywood Hills]] neighborhood of Los Angeles. A public memorial service was held two weeks later at UCLA's [[Pauley Pavilion]].

 

==Seven Point Creed==

 

# Be true to yourself.