John Wooden
(1910-2010)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1960
Card Shown:
2006-07 Press Pass
Authentics
Position: G
Height: 5’10”
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John Wooden, later dubbed “The Wizard of Westwood” when he coached at UCLA, was himself a Hall of Fame basketball player in addition to being arguably the best college basketball coach ever. Most people know Wooden’s name as a result of his UCLA basketball teams recording 10 NCAA championships in 12 years, including 7 in row.
However, John was a fantastic basketball player in his own right. He led his high school to an Indiana State Championship and the Purdue Boilermakers to the National Championship. He retired in 1939 to concentrate his energies on coaching. Although he never talked about winning he became the most successful college basketball coach in history.
Awards and Honors
- Wooden led Martinsville High School to the Indiana State Championship in 1927.
- John earned three straight All-America selections while he played at Purdue.
- He helped lead his Purdue Boilermakers to become the 1932 National Champion as voted by the Helms Athletic Foundation. The first NCAA postseason tournament did not occur until 1939.
- John led the National Basketball League in scoring in 1932-33.
- Wooden was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1960 and as a coach in 1973, the first person ever inducted in both categories. Since then Lenny Wilkens, Bill Sharman, and Tommy Heinsohn are the only others to have been inducted as both a player and a coach.
Points of Interest
- At Purdue, Wooden was known as the “India Rubber Man” because he would immediately bounce back up when he was knocked down.
- One of John Wooden’s teammates at Purdue was future Hall of Famer Charles “Stretch” Murphy whom Wooden considered one of the best players of that time.
- While coaching high school basketball in the 1930’s, Wooden played professionally for the Kautsky Athletic Club. He made $50 per game.
- Wooden retired as a player in 1939 to pursue coaching full-time.
- Although Wooden was a Hall of Fame player and coach he may be best remembered for being a man that taught his players about life. His famous Pyramid of Success has helped many of his players and many other people around the world to be successful in their lives.
- Two of the players that helped propel Wooden’s UCLA basketball dynasty were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.
- John Wooden defined success in the following way: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
Statistics
John Wooden Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com
John Wooden is also a Hall of Fame Coach
John Wooden is also in the Hall of Fame as a coach. He won ten national championships as a coach at UCLA, guiding such players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.
