Weighing in on John Wooden
He was not only the greatest coach in the history of any sport, but he was an exceptional individual that transcended the sporting world.
— Dan Guerrero
UCLA athletic director
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He was a disciplinarian. We learned all about those aspects of life that most kids want to skip over. He wouldn’t let us do that.
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
UCLA player, 1966-69
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He is such a positive influence on everyone. He has taught me everything I know. Not so much about basketball, but about life.
— Bill Walton
UCLA player, 1971-74
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His lessons made sense then and they make sense now.
— Marques Johnson
UCLA player, 1973-77
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It wasn’t until years later, after college, after the NBA, when my life focus began to change on marriage, divorce, children, the business world, that I began to sense how special a man he was.
— Jamaal Wilkes
UCLA player, 1971-74
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He was a person who not only affected how you played the game but how you lived life. What he taught us will be part of me all my days.
— Rafer Johnson
decathlon champion, UCLA player, 1958-60
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It wasn’t until years later, after college, after the NBA, when my life focus began to change on marriage, divorce, children, the business world, that I began to sense how special a man he was.
— Jamaal Wilkes
UCLA player, 1971-74
What he did was produce leaders.… His “Pyramid of Success” hangs in my office to remind me every day of what it takes to be an effective leader.
— Gene Block
UCLA chancellor
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He’s a legend and national treasure who was a coach, but his life meant so much more than being a coach. Think of all the lives outside of sports who were touched by him. We’re
talking millions of people.
— Ben Howland
UCLA coach
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