In 1932, Wooden graduated with honors and a degree in English after winning the College Basketball Player of the Year Award and receiving the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which recognizes a student from each Big Ten member school’s graduating class for their athletic and academic accomplishments. He was nicknamed the “Indiana Rubber Man” for his headlong style of play.Ī statue of John Wooden from his Purdue playing games stands outside the Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. Wooden played as a guard at Purdue University and was named team captain as a junior, becoming the first player ever to be selected as a three-time consensus All-American selection. He also became a star basketball player at Martinsville High School, leading the team to the Indiana state championship in 1927. In 1925, Wooden and his family moved back to Martinsville, where he met the love of his life, Nellie Riley. Pray for guidance, and count and give thanks for your blessings every day.” Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible. His upbringing on a farm in Centerton with no electricity and little money instilled a strong work ethic, but Wooden also found time for fun by playing basketball in a barn with his three brothers.Īfter graduating eighth grade, Wooden received a piece of paper from his father with a seven-point creed that Wooden followed the rest of his life: “Be true to yourself. He was one of six children born to parents Hugh and Roxie Wooden.
Quick FactsĪSTROLOGICAL SIGN: Libra Early Life and College Careerīasketball coach John Robert Wooden was born on October 14, 1910, in Martinsville, Indiana. The first person to be inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach, Wooden died in Los Angeles on June 4, 2010. After stints as a high school coach and teacher, he took over as head basketball coach at University of California, Los Angeles in 1948 and led the Bruins to a record 10 national championships. John Wooden was an All-American guard at Purdue University.
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