30 Facts About Wooden Legacy

1. Wooden Legacy was admitted to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on May 26, 2010, and died of natural causes on June 4, four months shy of his 100th birthday.

2. Wooden Legacy received the Reagan Distinguished American Award in 1995 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003, and co-wrote multiple books with Steve Jamison after turning 90.

3. Wooden Legacy was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame again in 1973 for his remarkable coaching accomplishments, making him the first person to be honored as a player and coach.

4. Wooden Legacy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1960, but his impact on the game was far from finished.

5. Wooden Legacy took over as basketball coach for the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1948, hardly a sought after position given that the team lacked a proper playing arena and facilities.

6. Wooden Legacy was offered $5,000 to join a barnstorming tour with the New York Celtics after graduating, but instead married Riley and settled in as an English teacher and coach of multiple athletic teams at Dayton High School in Kentucky.

7. Wooden Legacy graduated with honors and a degree in English after winning the College Basketball Player of the Year Award and Purdue was voted national champions in 1932.

8. Wooden Legacy earned three straight All-America selections as a guard at Purdue University and was named team captain as a junior.

9. Wooden Legacy became a star basketball player at Martinsville High School, leading the team to the Indiana State championship in 1927.

10. Wooden Legacy was the author of several other books about basketball and life.

11. Wooden Legacy has schools and athletic facilities named after him.

12. Wooden Legacy was one of five people—along with Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Dean Smith and Dr James Naismith—who were selected to represent the inaugural class.

13. Wooden Legacy was given a Bruin powder blue Mercedes that season as a retirement gift.

14. Wooden Legacy credited Norman for devising the diamond-and-one defense that contained Hayes.

15. Wooden Legacy felt that leaving UCLA prior to the expiration of his contract would be tantamount to breaking his word, even though Purdue offered more money, a car and housing.

16. Wooden Legacy was ultimately dissuaded when UCLA officials reminded him that it was he who had insisted upon a three-year commitment during negotiations in 1948.

17. Wooden Legacy signed a three-year contract for $6,000 in the first year.

18. Wooden Legacy refused the invitation, citing the NAIB's policy banning black players.

19. Wooden Legacy served for nearly two years and left the service as a lieutenant.

20. Wooden Legacy won the prestigious Henry Iba Award as national coach of the year a record seven times and won the AP award five times.

21. Wooden Legacy is as respected there as he is here, the Aggies' Pan American Arena and Highway 28 to El Paso bearing his name.

22. Wooden Legacy is merely content to hear that the handprints are still there.

23. Wooden Legacy used to visit until it closed and remembers Trantalis leading the fight against Flynt.

24. Wooden Legacy said a guy told him he looked like himself.

25. Wooden Legacy was one of eight from the floor in the loss to Hawaii and three of 11 from three-point range in the loss to BYU.

26. Wooden Legacy declared for the NBA Draft but did not sign with an agent and decided to return for his senior season.

27. Wooden Legacy left Montana to join Terry Stotts' staff with the Milwaukee Bucks.

28. Wooden Legacy is a well-rounded player and has a chance to be a star overseas.

29. Wooden Legacy was good enough that he was invited to tryouts for the U-19 National team.

30. Wooden Legacy is positive, poised, and helps build good young men in life.