John Wooden signed basketball

John Wooden signed Nike gold painted basketball. Signed “best wishes - John Wooden UCLA”. John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910-June 4, 2010) was the revered head coach of the UCLA Bruins for nearly 30 years known not only for his winning ways but also for his short, simple inspirational messages on life and basketball delivered to his players – including the likes of Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. Much of his wisdom was incorporated into his immediately recognizable and well-regarded “Pyramid of Success.” Wooden’s basketball career began as a player at Purdue University where he played guard (1929-1933). Wooden was the first to be named basketball All-American three times (1930-1932) and was a member of the school’s national championship squad (1932). That same year, Wooden was named the College Basketball Player of the Year.Wooden briefly coached at Indiana State University (1946-1948), but it was at the helm at UCLA (1948-1975) that he achieved greatness. Nicknamed the “Wizard of Westwood,” he won an unprecedented ten NCAA national championships (1964-1965, 1967-1973, 1975). The 1964 title was the first in the school’s history and marked the start of what would be a succession of powerful teams. In the 1960s and 1970s, he also coached the Bruins to a record 88 consecutive games and was named the NCAA Coach of the Year seven times (1964, 1967, 1969-1973). Following a 1975 NCAA Tournament semifinal game, Wooden announced his intent to retire following the championship game – a game that UCLA won to give Wooden his 10thnational championship. He left the game with a 664-162 record and a winning percentage of .804. Even after his official retirement, UCLA honored him bestowing upon him the title “Head Men's Basketball Coach Emeritus.” In addition to his numerous achievements as coach, he also holds the distinction of being elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player (1961) and as a coach (1973) – the first person to be enshrined in both categories. In 2003, President George W. Bush awarded Wooden the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Condition: poor. Sticky film, encasing suggested.