John Wooden stamp unveiled at UCLA honoring the coach who led Bruins to a record 10 national titles
A U.S. stamp honoring John Wooden has been unveiled on the UCLA campus where he coached the Bruins to a record 10 national basketball championships in the 1960s and '70s
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A U.S. stamp honoring John Wooden was unveiled on the UCLA campus Saturday, with Kareen Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes on hand to honor their coach who guided the Bruins to a record 10 national championships in the 1960s and '70s.
Abdul-Jabbar used a cane to approach the lectern outside Pauley Pavilion on a sun-splashed day. He had hip replacement surgery just before Christmas after he fell at a concert. The 76-year-old was known as Lew Alcindor during his college days when he was a three-time national player of the year.
“There’s only one thing I can say and that’s, ‘Thank you, coach.’ You gave it to us on both ends, you made us champs and you made us understand life,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I don’t think any coach can do better than that.”
The stamp shows Wooden with an intense look on his face and two players in the background wearing jerseys with the numbers 4 and 10. Four represents the number of undefeated seasons under Wooden and 10 is the record number of national championships his teams won in Westwood.
