He was affectionately known as the "Wizard of Westwood," a nickname he personally disdained. John Wooden's life spanned nearly 100 years (October 14, 1910-June 4, 2010). He was one of the most iconic individuals of both the 20th and 21st Centuries. Wooden was a staunch family man and devoted husband, the greatest coach in any sport of all-time, teacher and motivational speaker.
Hailing from the state of Indiana where he was a prep phenom, he continued his education at Purdue University where he became the first three-time basketball All-American in history.
After several brief coaching spots, he became the head man at UCLA in 1948 and led them to two conference titles almost immediately. His coach's salary was $6,000.00 for three years so he augmented his income by also being a radio dispatcher for a local dairy in the off season.
It was not until 1964 that Coach Wooden's Bruins won their first NCAA title beating a much taller Duke squad. Not one of the Bruins starters was over 6' 5" and this marked the debut of the "full court zone press." UCLA would then proceed to win nine more national championships in eleven years for a total of ten. He gained lasting fame by winning 620 games in 27 seasons including a record-winning streak of 88 victories and four perfect 30-0 seasons.
Wooden was named NCAA Basketball Coach of the Year seven times, Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year" in 1972, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (1973) and coach (2006), the first to do so. Finally, he was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 2003 and the Sporting News deemed him the Greatest Coach of all time in any sport.
The list of Bruin greats reads like a "Who's Who" from Goodrich, to Alcindor to Walton, on and on. His Pyramid of Success is a model to all motivational speakers. Ironically, despite his phenomenal success, he never made more than $35,000 in a single year!
The garment presented is one of the only two known sweater-jackets of this style that he wore from the 1960s through 1970s. This one is original in all aspects. What is very impressive is the circular "UCLA Staff" embroidered patch over the left chest area. It has been well-preserved with no flaws. The navy blue Acrylic Orlon jacket is in excellent condition with no rips, tears or fraying and sports the UCLA Bruins' trademark blue with yellow-and-white stripes around the waist, wrists and neck regions. Shown here are two photographs of him wearing it plus a note from Coach Wooden.
Incidentally, this particular sweater-jacket has never been offered before publicly. Five years ago, another similar style Wooden UCLA sweater-jacket was auctioned for $180,000, setting a record for a coach's garment. This exact sweater-jacket was sold previously in 2015 for $103,579. This truly is a remarkable piece of sports history attributed to one of the greatest individuals and coaches of all-time.
The sweater-jacket is accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from John Wooden.