Remembering The Wizard of Westwood

His legacy extends far from the hardwood . He was a preacher that knew the importance of life , and he managed to mold men who loved the game of college basketball.
Coach John Wooden knew how important it was for his players to cherish life inorder to succeed in life. He coached future NBA stars such as Kareem Adull-Jabar , Bill Walton , Jamal Wilkes , and Gail Goodrich to name a few. The score did not matter to Coach Wooden because he felt the preperation was more important than the outcome of the basketball game.
Coach Wooden played for the Perdue University Boilermakers where he played guard , he led the Boilermakers to the 1932 National Championship . He was the first player ever to be named a college All-American three straight times. During Wooden's college career he earned the nickname "The Indiana Rubberman" for his suicidal dives on the hardwood. Wooden was enshined into the basketball hall of fame as a player in 1961 and later as a coach in 1973; only Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman have been honored in that reguard.
After Coach Wooden's college career ended he played in professional basketball leagues before joining the Navy in 1942 where he served three years as lieutenant.
Coach Wooden was a very spiritual man who was devoted to the christian faith . He and his late wife Nelle always attended church services and formed spiritual groups during the week. Coach Wooden always made it clear that his faith and family was always his passion ... coaching basketball was a blessing but he never wanted it to be his ultimate endeavor.
After a short coaching stint at Indiana State University in 1946-48 , Coach Wooden became the head basketball coach at UCLA. He only wanted to stay three seasons when he signed a three year contract with the Bruins in 1948 , he stayed 20 plus seasons after turning down a huge offer from Minnesota University. He respected his wife Nelle's decision to remain at UCLA . Coach Wooden was surprised as Nelle disliked Los Angeles. She stuck with her husband as she knew how much his knowledge meant to his players , the school , and the community.
Coach Wooden turned a 12-13 Bruins' team into a basketball power their first season , as they posted a 22-7 record at the end of the season. Wooden went on to post four 30-0 seasons as he earned the famed nickname " Wizard of Westwood". He accomplished remarkable feats in a short period of time as he led the Bruins to an unprecedented 10 National Basketball Championships in a 12 year period. His Bruins team had a winning streak of 88 games. Coach Wooden's Bruins won 38 straight NCAA Tournament games and also posted an impressive 98 game home winning streak at the famed Paulie Pavillion.
Coach Wooden's final game at Paulie Pavillion came in a 93-59 Bruins victory over Stanford on May 1, 1975 as he annouced his retirement from college basketball four weeks later after the Bruins beat Louisville in the Semi-Final of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Wooden left the UCLA Bruins as a champ , his team won their 10th NCAA National Championship after defeating Kentucky.
Coach Wooden remained the ultimate mentor as he sat behind the bench at UCLA home games and sometimes traveled on the road to watch the Bruins basketball teams. He was never heard in practices , but his presence was felt. Coach Wooden gave advice to players and coaches alike , as he not only expressed his basketball knowledge ... he gave input on the importance of preperation and most important being one with your faith and cherishing life.