John Wooden (Related Stories)

John Wooden stories from the SI Vault

• Wizards In The Land Of Oz By Ray Cave, March 19, 1962With help from a magical guard, a poet and a school principal, UCLA surprised the West and became the most intriguing entry in the NCAA basketball championship.

• Five Midgets And A Wink At NellBy John Underwood, February 24, 1964Johnny Wooden has parlayed those ingredients into the only unbeaten major college team in the country.

• The Two Faces Of The Rubber ManBy Joe Jares, January 6, 1969With or without Lew Alcindor, UCLA's gentle Johnny Wooden is a great coach. Which doesn't mean that everyone loves him.

• Victory By MystiqueBy Joe Jaras, March 30, 1970That special aura of success surrounding UCLA basketball -- the achievement of John Wooden -- surely did not hinder the Bruins at College Park, but the champions earned their glory and their title.

• Oh, Johnny, Oh, Johnny Oh!By Curry Kirkpatrick, April 3, 1972Will he ever stop winning? John Wooden and his UCLA Bruins did it again, and almost everybody was happy except the rest of the country, which might like to swing to another tune, Just once.

• What A Wiz Of A Win It WasBy Curry Kirkpatrick, April 7, 1975Led by Richard Washington's 28 points, UCLA defeated Kentucky 92-85 to give John Wooden a wonderful retirement gift -- his 10th NCAA title.

• The Team Of '64By Frank Deford, March 26, 1979UCLA was just one more school with a basketball team until seven players introduced the Bruins to the art of winning by going 30-0 and taking the NCAA title.

• At The Wooden Summer Camp, The Coach Was More Than A Stick FigureBy Jack McCallum, September 17, 1984On his application form for the John Wooden Basketball Encounter, Bob McKay, a Los Angeles attorney, didn't hesitate when he came to the line marked DISEASES. "Slow, can't jump," wrote McKay.

• The Coach And His ChampionBy Alexander Wolff, April 3, 1989John Wooden had 53 loving years with his wife, Nell. Now she's gone and he struggles alone.

• DynastyBy Richard Hoffer, November 27, 1995UCLA heroes from John Wooden's teams have begotten a basketball generation steeped in their mentor's methods.