The Wizard of Westwood

I read the story this morning and was sadden
to learn that legendary basketball coach John Wooden
had died at the age of 99. Wooden's teams at U.C.L.A.
brinked on the edge of being unbeatable during the late
1960's through 1975. Wooden was born and raised
in Indiana and baseball was his favorite sport as a
youngster, but when you are from Indiana basketball
can't be too far behind. Wooden always wanted to be
a coach and his first job was at Central High School in
South Bend. He married his high school sweetheart and
Nell would be the centerpoint of his life for the next 53
years. After a record of 218 wins and 42 losses at Central,
the Woodens decided to head for the college ranks. He thought
he had the job at the University of Minnesota, but got
the call from U.C.L.A. instead. It too was a marriage made in
heaven. Wooden's first few teams never had a really tall
center, but good defense and the ability to run the fast
break made them into instant winners. From 1964 to 1975
U.C.L.A. won ten National Championships, including seven
in a row. There were four seasons where the Bruins did not
lose a single game, and at one time the winning streak reached
88 games in a row. Wooden instilled a discipline and patience
in his players that carried many of them to the pro games of
the National Basketball Association. Even after their college
careers many of them kept close ties with their old coach. They
would be sure to have breakfast or dinner with Wooden when
they came to Los Angeles. The U.C.L.A. list of great players seemed
endless.. Walt Hazard, Gail Goodrich, Keith Wilkes, Bill Walton, and
of course Kareem Abdul Jabbar. In 1975 at the Final Four Tournament
Wooden told his team that the Championship Game with the
University of Kentucky would be his last. The Wildcats were the
heavy favorite, but the Bruins would not let the Wizard go out on
a losing note and tamed the Wildcats 92-85 in the title game.
Wooden had been a loyal fan of the Bruins since his retirement and
always at his customary seat at home games. Former player Marques Johnson was a constant visitor to Wooden's modest Encino home and said the
coach's health really turned bad about two weeks ago. He died
overnight just four months from his 100th birthday,..but as Johnson
told reporters,.."the coach was never about numbers, in life or
basketball."