Wooden

John Robert Wooden, born October 14, 1910, in Hall, Indiana, is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (Class of 1961) and a coach (Class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories; only Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman have since been so honored. more...

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He is widely regarded as the greatest college coach in history and his 10 NCAA National Championships while at UCLA are unmatched.

High School and college

As a high school student, Wooden played in Indiana where he led the Martinsville High School team to the state championship final three consecutive years, winning the tournament in 1927. He was a three time All-State selection. After graduating in 1928 he entered Purdue University, where he was a three-time All-American guard and a member of Purdue's 1932 national championship team (the NCAA did not officially recognize a champion until 1939). John Wooden was an All-Big Ten and All-Midwestern (1930-32) while at Purdue University. He was also selected for membership in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Wooden was nicknamed "The Indiana Rubber Man" for his suicidal dives on the hardcourt. He graduated from Purdue in 1932 with a degree in English, and later earned his Masters Degree at Indiana State Teacher's College (now Indiana State University) where he spent 1946-48 as athletic director and basketball coach.

After college Wooden spent several years playing professionally with the Indianapolis Kautskys (later the Indianapolis Jets), Whiting Ciesar All-Americans, and Hammond Ciesar All-Americans while teaching and coaching in the high school ranks. During one 46 game stretch he made 134 consecutive free throws. In 1942 he enlisted in the Navy where he gained the rank of lieutenant during World War II.

Coaching career

High school

Wooden coached two years at Dayton High School in Kentucky. His first year at Dayton would be the only time he would have a losing record (6-11). After Dayton he returned to Indiana, teaching English and coaching basketball at South Bend Central High School until entering the Armed Forces. His high school coaching record was 218-42.

Indiana State University

After the war, Wooden coached at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana from 1946 to 1948, succeeding his high school coach, Glenn Curtis, who became head coach of the professional Detroit Falcons. Wooden also coached baseball and served as athletic director. In 1947, Wooden's basketball team won the conference title and received an invitation to the NAIB National Tournament in Kansas City. Wooden refused the invitation citing the NAIB's policy banning African American players. A member on the Indiana State Sycamores' team was Clarence Walker, an African-American athlete from East Chicago, Indiana. In 1948 the NAIB changed this policy and Wooden guided his team to the NAIB final, losing to Louisville. That year, Walker became the first African-American to play in any post-season intercollegiate basketball tournament. John Wooden was inducted into the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame on February 3, 1984.

Read more at Wikipedia.org