John Wooden: 1910-2010

UCLA NEWS RELEASE

************************** UCLA's legendary former basketball coach John Wooden, who in 27 years led his teams to stunning triumphs and was just as well known for mentoring his players off the court and for his motivational "Pyramid of Success," died at 6:45 p.m. of natural causes.

He was 99.

His 100th birthday would have been October 14.

Wooden had been admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on May 26.

Funeral services will be private.

Per the wishes of the family, there will be a public memorial at a later date, with a reception for former players and coaches.

At UCLA, Wooden's teams won a remarkable seven consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships between 1967 and 1973, and 10 titles (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975) in his final 12 seasons as head coach.

At one point in the early 1970s, the Bruins won an NCAA-record 88 games in a row, a run that included undefeated 30-0 seasons in 1971–72 and 1972–73.

UCLA also won 38 consecutive NCAA Tournament games between the 1963–64 and 1973–74 seasons, another record.

Wooden retired from coaching following the 1975 season with a UCLA record of 620 wins and 147 losses.

Only twice during his tenure did the Bruins lose home games at Pauley Pavilion, where he coached from the 1965–66 through 1974–75 seasons.

"This is a sad day at UCLA," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "Coach Wooden's legacy transcends athletics; what he did was produce leaders. But his influence has reached far beyond our campus and even our community. Through his work and his life, he imparted his phenomenal understanding of leadership and his unwavering sense of integrity to so many people. His 'Pyramid of Success' hangs in my office to remind me every day of what it takes to be an effective leader. He was truly a legend in his own time, and he will be a legend for generations to come."

"There will never be another John Wooden," said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. "While this is a huge loss for the Bruin family, Coach Wooden's influence reaches far beyond Westwood. Coach was a tremendously significant figure. This loss will be felt by individuals from all parts of society. He was not only the greatest coach in the history of any sport but he was an exceptional individual that transcended the sporting world. His enduring legacy as a role model is one we should all strive to emulate.

"I can still recall my first interactions with Coach Wooden when I was a member of the UCLA baseball team and he was in the midst of his incredible run of championships," Guerrero said. "While attending those basketball games was certainly a highlight for me, what stands out even more was Coach making the effort to come to our baseball games to cheer for us, and what a special feeling that was for our team. Since then, I have had the unique opportunity to develop a close personal relationship with Coach Wooden over the years. That's something I will treasure for the rest of my life."

Wooden's rosters included some of the most accomplished players in the history of college basketball, most famously two centers — 7-foot-2-inch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor during his Bruin career), who played in the late 1960s, and Bill Walton, who played for Wooden in the early 1970s.

In March 2008, Abdul-Jabbar was selected as the greatest player in the history of college basketball by ESPN and Walton was ranked No. 3. Both went on to stellar professional careers. Among the other basketball greats who played for Wooden at UCLA were Willie Naulls, Walt Hazzard, Gail Goodrich, Sidney Wicks, Jamaal (Keith) Wilkes and Marques Johnson.

"It's kind of hard to talk about Coach Wooden simply, because he was a complex man," Abdul-Jabbar said in an interview with UCLA. "But he taught in a very simple way. He just used sports as a means to teach us how to apply ourselves to any situation."

Wooden was the first person — and remains one of only two — to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (1960) and a coach (1973).

He was also a member of the inaugural classes of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2006), the Pac-10 Basketball Hall of Honor (2002) and the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame (1984).

In 2003, President George W. Bush presented Wooden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to a civilian.

But just as important as his accolades, winning record and star teams was his approach to the game of life, which raised his coaching style to the level of a philosopher's.

He was known for reciting his father's "two sets of three" — "never lie, never cheat, never steal" and "don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses" — and a seven-point creed also passed along by his father.

The point Wooden used most in his coaching, he said, was "make each day your masterpiece."

Still, Wooden was probably best known for his famed "Pyramid of Success," which he began developing in the 1930s. He said that it was "the only truly original thing I have ever done."

At the base of the five-level pyramid are industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation and enthusiasm.

The next levels up are self-control, alertness, initiative and intentness; condition, skill and team spirit; and poise and confidence.

At the pinnacle is competitive greatness, which he defined as performing at one's best ability when one's best is required, which, he said, was "each day."

"Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable," Wooden once said in explaining the pyramid.

Wooden also promoted his "12 Lessons in Leadership," including Lesson 11: Don't look at the scoreboard.

But while Wooden was high-minded in his approach to coaching, he also was practical.

He famously began each season with a coaching session on dressing properly that included showing his players how to put on their shoes and socks the right way.

"This is a game played on your feet," he said. "If you get blisters, you can't play the game."

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