As we all know we lost one of the greatest coaches in basketball history on Friday...John Wooden passed away at the age of 99. For people that don't know who Coach Wooden is (you should be ashamed) he was the former head coach of UCLA and won 10 NCAA Championships in 12 years. He is also inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame twice as a player in 1961 and as a coach in 1973. He has coached some of the greatest players that have ever played in the NBA such as Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003 (which is the highest honor for civilians). In 2006 he was recognized as one of the impact on college basketball and became a member of the founding class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame along with Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Dean Smith, and Dr. James Naismith.
Rick Reilly of ESPN wrote; "He never made more than $35,000 a year salary (not including camps and speaking engagements), including 1975, the year he won his 10th national championship, and never asked for a raise."
Every February 29, UCLA celebrates John Wooden Day...I think that should be a national day personally (Obama make that happen).
So as we lost a great coach, we will never forget his legacy as one of the...well the greatest coach in college basketball history.
"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful." - John Wooden (1910-2010)
