The Wizard of Deadwood
(Props to Mark)
Or
Now Wooden In More Than Just Name
(More merit for Mark)
John Wooden, who went 6-11 at Dayton High School in 1932 in his first year as a basketball coach – the only losing season in his half century in basketball as a coach and player, has died at the age of 99. Wooden is generally regarded, except by fans of USC, as the greatest coach in organized sports history, winning 10 national championships, including 7 in a row, which included 4 undefeated seasons at UCLA en route to a 620-147 record in 27 seasons, establishing the insufferability of the Bruins and their fans despite only 1 national championship in the 35 years since Wooden retired. But as we are getting tired of hearing, he wasn’t just winning games, he was making men. One of the first lessons he delivered was how to tie shoelaces, and having heard college athletes interviewed, an inability to tie shoes is not surprising. One of his most important lessons may be among his least known. After winning the Indiana Collegiate Conference title at Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana State) in 1947, his first year as a college coach, Wooden declined the invitation to the NAIB tournament, as the tournament was segregated and there was a black player on the team. The following year, the rule was changed. A stickler for discipline, at the start of Bill Walton’s senior season, the wannabe hippie came in with hair too long for Wooden’s liking. Wooden eyed up the two-time player of the year for back-to-back championship teams, and told him “Bill, that’s not short enough. We’re sure going to miss you on this team. Get on out of here.” Walton was back by the end of practice with a nearly shaved head. Although he famously had just three rules for his team - no profanity, tardiness or criticizing fellow teammates – he expanded to a more marketable 15-point pyramid that he spent decades hawking as a motivational speaker. Before becoming a sage, Wooden was a highly skilled player, leading Martinsville High School to three consecutive state finals and a state title in 1927, then went to Purdue, where he was a three-time all-American, and player of the year as he led the Boilermakers to the 1932 national championship, exploits that earned him his first induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. After two years at Indiana State, both the University of Minnesota and UCLA wanted him as their next head coach. Minnesota was his preference, but when a blizzard kept them from calling Wooden to seal the deal, he took the UCLA job. Although he preferred to stay in the Midwest, he wouldn’t break his commitment, a concept as foreign to today’s coaches as graduating players. When he started, UCLA didn’t even have a home court, borrowing time for Wooden’s first 14 seasons at Santa Monica City College and Venice High School. In 2003, the court at Pauley Pavilion, the Gym that John Built, was renamed the Nell and John Wooden Court.
Or
Now Wooden In More Than Just Name
(More merit for Mark)
John Wooden, who went 6-11 at Dayton High School in 1932 in his first year as a basketball coach – the only losing season in his half century in basketball as a coach and player, has died at the age of 99. Wooden is generally regarded, except by fans of USC, as the greatest coach in organized sports history, winning 10 national championships, including 7 in a row, which included 4 undefeated seasons at UCLA en route to a 620-147 record in 27 seasons, establishing the insufferability of the Bruins and their fans despite only 1 national championship in the 35 years since Wooden retired. But as we are getting tired of hearing, he wasn’t just winning games, he was making men. One of the first lessons he delivered was how to tie shoelaces, and having heard college athletes interviewed, an inability to tie shoes is not surprising. One of his most important lessons may be among his least known. After winning the Indiana Collegiate Conference title at Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana State) in 1947, his first year as a college coach, Wooden declined the invitation to the NAIB tournament, as the tournament was segregated and there was a black player on the team. The following year, the rule was changed. A stickler for discipline, at the start of Bill Walton’s senior season, the wannabe hippie came in with hair too long for Wooden’s liking. Wooden eyed up the two-time player of the year for back-to-back championship teams, and told him “Bill, that’s not short enough. We’re sure going to miss you on this team. Get on out of here.” Walton was back by the end of practice with a nearly shaved head. Although he famously had just three rules for his team - no profanity, tardiness or criticizing fellow teammates – he expanded to a more marketable 15-point pyramid that he spent decades hawking as a motivational speaker. Before becoming a sage, Wooden was a highly skilled player, leading Martinsville High School to three consecutive state finals and a state title in 1927, then went to Purdue, where he was a three-time all-American, and player of the year as he led the Boilermakers to the 1932 national championship, exploits that earned him his first induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. After two years at Indiana State, both the University of Minnesota and UCLA wanted him as their next head coach. Minnesota was his preference, but when a blizzard kept them from calling Wooden to seal the deal, he took the UCLA job. Although he preferred to stay in the Midwest, he wouldn’t break his commitment, a concept as foreign to today’s coaches as graduating players. When he started, UCLA didn’t even have a home court, borrowing time for Wooden’s first 14 seasons at Santa Monica City College and Venice High School. In 2003, the court at Pauley Pavilion, the Gym that John Built, was renamed the Nell and John Wooden Court.
Labels: basketball
posted by The Grim Reaper at 9:46 PM
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