Open main menu

John Wooden

American basketball coach
Wooden in c. 1972

John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010)[1] was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period—seven in a row. Wooden was named a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player (inducted in 1961) and as a coach (in 1973), the first person ever to be in both categories. He was a Democrat.[2]

Wooden was born on October 14, 1910 in Hall, Indiana. He studied at Purdue University. Wooden was married to Nellie Riley from 1932 until her death in 1985. They had two children. Wooden died on June 4, 2010 in Los Angeles, California from natural causes, aged 99 .[3]


  1. "Remembering John Wooden". USA Today. 2010-06-05. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  2. John Wooden at Notable Names
  3. "Wooden dies at age 99". ESPN Los Angeles. June 4, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.

Other websitesEdit