BIOGRAPHY

John Wooden strides across twentieth-century sports in America in a singular manner—a preeminent and most revered coach, teacher, and leader. His UCLA basketball dynasty won 10 national March Madness championships, including seven in consecutive years. Under his leadership the UCLA Bruins had four perfect seasons and set the all-time record for consecutive victories: 88. Experts generally agree these records will stand forever.

The UCLA teams won 38 straight playoff games (a record) and appeared in the Final Four 12 times during a 14-year period (a record).

During his 40-year coaching career, John Wooden had one losing season, his first. He taught at Dayton High School in Kentucky for 2 years; South Bend Central High School for 9 years; Indiana State Teachers College for 2 years; UCLA for 27 years. During that time his teams won over 80 percent of their games.

As a student-athlete at Purdue University, John Wooden was the nation’s first three-time, all-consensus, All American and led the Boilermakers to a national championship. Upon graduation from Purdue in 1932, the university president, Edward Elliot, awarded him the Big Ten Medal for Scholastic and Athletic Prowess.

Mr. Wooden was selected by ESPN as “The Greatest Coach of the 20th Century.” In 2003 he received the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom Award, in ceremonies at the White House. According to Sports Illustrated, “There’s never been a finer coach in American sports than John Wooden. Nor a finer man.”

In 2008 the prestigious UCLA Anderson School of Management established the John Wooden Global Leadership Program. In coming years, the school will serve as the academic home for sharing the principles of Mr. Wooden’s philosophy and methodology of leadership.