Hall of Fame Honorees

The coaching accomplishments of John Wooden is nothing short of staggering, yet those who he mentored will tell you he is so much more than that.

A three-time All-American at Purdue, Wooden coached high school basketball for a dozen years before taking the head coach job at Indiana State. Wooden was with the Sycamores for only two years, concluding as the runner-up in the NAIA tournament. He would agree to coach UCLA in 1948, and he took a program that wasn't thought of at all to the most influential dynasty in college basketball.

This did not happen overnight, but they did become winners immediately. Instituting a modern offense, Wooden’s Bruins became threats to win their conference, and his calm and logical manner made him a natural mentor. Wooden had a seven-point creed, life lessons he learned from his father and would use on his players.

1. Be true to yourself
2. Make each day your masterpiece
3. Help others
4. Drunk deeply from good books, especially the Bible
5. Make friendship a fine art
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day
7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings

Wooden used this and developed basketball teachings around it, and when he was successful, and was this genuine, what parent wouldn’t encourage their star child to join UCLA?

Wooden won his first National Championship in 1964, and repeated the year after. In 1967, Wooden took UCLA to their third title, and they would win it all annually until 1973. This was an unprecedented seven consecutive titles, and it has not been close to duplicated since. Wooden’s Bruins were third in 1974 and in his final year, he won his tenth and final NCAA Division I Championship. It is worth mentioning, that over his NCAA career, Wooden never had a team with a losing record, and he guided the collegiate career of 11 consensus All-Americans.

While Wooden may not have the most wins in college basketball but in terms of overall success, he is at the top of the food chain.

We are proud to nominate John Wooden for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.