Photo: Congressman Brad Sherman's office / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
John Wooden was a military officer, basketball coach and basketball player, born on October 14, 1910 in Hall, Indiana, United States. Death is recorded on June 4, 2010, at the age of 99. John Wooden was educated at Martinsville High School and Purdue University. Awards on record include Presidential Medal of Freedom (2003), Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year (1967, 1969, 1970, 1972), Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (1972) and 2 more.
My Take
John Wooden is, to me, the gold standard of what coaching can be. Ten NCAA titles in twelve years at UCLA, including seven straight, is a record so absurd it will likely never be touched. But the numbers are not what move me. The Wizard of Westwood cared more about who his players became than the scoreboard, building his famous Pyramid of Success around character rather than winning. His books and the Presidential Medal of Freedom reflect a teacher first, a coach second. Living to nearly a hundred, he modeled the patience he preached, and I find that deeply admirable.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- John Wooden
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・ウッデン
- Reading
- じょん・うっでん
- Born
- October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Dog
- Origin
- Hall, Indiana, United States
- Occupation
- military officer / basketball coach / basketball player / author
2. Background
- High school
- Martinsville High School
- University
- Purdue University
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 1967 Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year
- 1972 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
- 1996 Theodore Roosevelt Award
- 1974 John Bunn Award
- 1969 Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year
- 1970 Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year
- 1972 Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year
3. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.coachwooden.com/
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John%20Wooden
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A6%E3%83%83%E3%83%87%E3%83%B3
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q551032
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was John Wooden born?
Born October 14, 1910.
When did John Wooden die?
Died June 4, 2010, aged 99.
Where was John Wooden from?
John Wooden was from Hall, Indiana, United States.
What did John Wooden do?
John Wooden worked as military officer, basketball coach, basketball player, author.
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