SPORTS NOTEBOOK:Shackelford among ’67 title team honored

Bits and pieces from the local sports scene:

Former Burroughs hoop standout among UCLA title team honorees: The UCLA men’s basketball program doesn’t forget about its own — especially its championship own.

The Bruins took time out Saturday to honor the 1967 UCLA team that won an NCAA championship.

Coached by the legendary John Wooden, the team included former Burroughs High standout Lynn Shackelford. The squad also featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Warren.

Shackelford — a 1965 Burroughs graduate who was the CIF Southern Section Division 3A Player of the Year for the Indians in 1965 — was known for his high-arching shot and his pinpoint shooting. He helped the Bruins win three NCAA titles.

In 1969, the former Burroughs star ended his collegiate career by helping the Bruins defeat Purdue, 92-72, to capture the crown. The squad also featured Lucius Allen.

During Shackelford’s three-year varsity career, UCLA posted an 88-2 overall record and the Bruins set a program record of 47 straight wins.

The 1967 team went 30-0, matching the Bruins’ first NCAA title team in 1964.

Shackelford averaged 11.4 points that season.

At the 40-year anniversary celebration, the 96-year-old Wooden took the Pauley Pavilion court, named for him and his late wife Nell, to remind the crowd that the team that included four sophomores and junior guard Warren was the youngest to win it all.

Wooden joked that Warren “wasn’t a bad guard and a pretty good actor, too.”

Warren, now 60, went on to an acting career that included a co-starring role in the 1980s hit drama “Hill Street Blues.”

“It’s one of the most remarkable feelings of all time to be back here with guys I played with 40 years ago,” Warren told the Associated Press. “To have [Wooden] still be living and to celebrate is fantastic.”

Warren said he’s trying to get a film on Wooden together.

The 1967 title squad began an unmatched run of seven consecutive NCAA championships under Wooden. Wooden helped the Bruins win an unprecedented 10 titles in 12 years before retiring in 1975.

Abdul-Jabbar, known as Lew Alcindor during his college days, averaged 29 points and 15 rebounds that season.

“We had Kareem, who was unstoppable,” Warren told the AP. “He could’ve averaged 60 points a game if he’d wanted to. This [current] team has some of the same elements. They think about team first.”

Local gym to hold its annual international gymnastics meet: Hundreds of competitive female gymnasts will invade Burbank this weekend for the 27th annual Golden State Gymnastics Friendship Challenge.

The competition will take place Friday through March 4 at the Burbank Airport Marriott (formerly the Burbank Airport Hilton).

More than 500 athletes, including approximately 30 Special Olympians, will be coming from across the United States and Mexico to compete in one of the largest gymnastics competitions in Southern California.

A broad range of talent will be represented, from Level 4 gymnasts — the first competitive level within the USA Gymnastics structure — to Elite gymnasts — the top competitive level.

The highest caliber athletes will be competing on Saturday afternoon/evening and the Special Olympics gymnasts will be competing alongside USA Gymnastics Level 6 gymnasts on Friday.

The event is a rare opportunity for the Special Olympics gymnasts to compete in a mainstream competition without being separated into their own session.

The Special Olympics portion of the competition was initiated last year by Camille Goldberg, the meet director and president of Golden State Gymnastics.

The event is open to the general public and tickets are $15 per session, with multiple-session discounts available.

The entire three-day event is open to the general public. The cost of attending a session is $15; with multiple session discounts available. Parking is $8 with validation.

Burbank-based Golden State Gymnastics is a nonprofit gymnastics program that has been serving the community and surrounding areas since 1973. Golden State offers recreational classes for boys and girls of all ages and abilities, including preschool, progressive levels and cheerleading. It is also home to Burbank’s only Junior Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team.

Burbank Athletic Federation board members sought: The Burbank Athletic Federation is seeking Burbank residents interested in becoming board members for the 2008 term.

Since 1947, the BAF has assisted the Park, Recreation and Community Services Department with fostering, promoting and developing amateur athletics in Burbank.

The goals of the BAF include building good sportsmanship and character, citizen training and physical maintenance for all participants, as well as encourage friendly rivalry, group spirit and team play.

Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month.

For more information, call the Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Department Sports and Aquatics Office at (818) 238-5330.

Burbank Middle school athletes get chance to shine at annual track and field meet: Some of the finest youth track and field athletes from the area will be in action next month in the Burbank’s Finest Middle Schools Track Meet.

The event will take place from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. March 10 at Burroughs High.

All three middle schools — John Muir, Luther Burbank and David Star Jordan — will participate. Muir is the host this year.

The high-jump competition will begin at 8:30 and running events will start at 9.

The meet has been going strong since 2002, when it was resurrected after not being held for 12 years.

There will also be results available from past meets, going back to the 1950s and ‘60s, and they can be obtained for free.

For more information, call Bronco Sevic at (818) 558-5320, ext. 22823.

Gilles among Glendale Community College Hall of Fame inductees: The sixth annual Glendale Community College Athletic Hall of Fame will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday at the college’s J. Walter Smith Student Center, 1500 N. Verdugo Ave., Glendale.

The cost is $50 per person.

Ron Wielochowski, Burbank High graduate Marji Gilles, Steve Messmer, Don Bennett and Ted Tiffany and the 1961 men’s swim team will be inducted.

Wielochowski was named the most valuable player for the school’s men’s basketball team during the 1963-64 season. He still holds the school record for points scored and highest scoring average in a season.

Gilles won a state championship in the triple jump in 1990 and holds the school record for the event, as well as the high jump.

Messmer was a standout on the tennis courts for Glendale college, before playing in Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Bennett served as the college’s football coach from 1961-65 and led the program to two bowl games.

Tiffany was a basketball player from 1952-54 before becoming a trustee for the college.

The swim team will be honored in the outstanding team category. The Vaqueros won the Western State Conference championship in 1961.

For more information, contact Alex Leon at (818) 240-1000, ext. 5764.

— Jeff Tully