John Wooden Autograph

Description

John Wooden Autograph.
(Excerpt taken from www.thewoodeneffect.com): John Robert Wooden is considered the greatest NCAA basketball head coach of all time. But many people knew him simply as coach. On the court, Wooden led the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball program to an impressive number of wins, with a 664-162 record, and was named NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year six times.
In 1942, Wooden served as a Navy lieutenant during World War II, and shortly thereafter he returned to the world of basketball. Wooden arrived at UCLA to take over as head basketball coach in 1948. At the time, the facilities to build a team were subpar, but Wooden was focused on giving his team the discipline to become great competitors—and his players’ hard work paid off.
Over time UCLA won 38 straight NCAA tournaments, had 88 consecutive victories, secured four perfect 30-0 seasons and won 10 national championships. Wooden was the first person to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach. Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom, George W. Bush said, “All his players will tell you, the most important man on their team was not on the court. He was the man who taught generations of basketball players the fundamentals of hard work and discipline, patience and teamwork.
Wooden’s UCLA Highlights
1948: Bruins win Pacific Coast Conference Southern Division title in Wooden’s first year as coach.
1950: UCLA wins its first NCAA tournament.
1956: UCLA has a perfect 16-0 season.
1960: Wooden is inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player.
1962: UCLA makes it to NCAA Final Four for the first time.
1964: UCLA defeats Duke to win its first NCAA title and finishes the season with 30-0 record.
1964: Wooden is named NCAA college basketball Coach of the Year (and again in 1967, 1969–70 and 1972–73).
1965: UCLA defeats Michigan, winning its second NCAA title.
1967: UCLA defeats Dayton to win a third NCAA title.
1968: UCLA defeats North Carolina to secure its fourth national championship.
1969: UCLA defeats Purdue and wins its fifth NCAA title.
1970: The Bruins defeat Jacksonville to collect sixth NCAA title, winning four in a row.
1971: UCLA begins its 88-game winning streak, an NCAA record.
1971: The Bruins defeat Villanova for a seventh NCAA title, securing five consecutive championships.
1972: UCLA wins its eighth NCAA title, defeating Florida State. Their sixth straight title came after a 30-0 record season.
1973: Wooden is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
1973: UCLA has 61 victories in row, breaking the NCAA consecutive-win record.
1973: The Bruins defeat Memphis State to win ninth NCAA championship, the team’s seventh straight. UCLA becomes the first school to win back-to-back NCAA titles with perfect 30-0 records both years.
1973: Wooden is named Sports Illustrated’s “Sports’ Man of the Year.”