Wooden: A Coach's Life (95 page)

As he screamed “You crook!” at Nichols:
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 7, 1975.

“I hope you have a nice life”: Ibid.

“We went out with the idea that the more we ran them, the better we’d be”: “Wooden Bows Out a Winner as UCLA Whips Kentucky,”
Washington Post
, Apr. 1, 1975.

“Yes, I’m sad”: “Title a Retirement Gift,”
Los Angeles Times
, Apr. 1, 1975.

“I’d like to be remembered as a person who tried to do his best”: “Hall Stays in Shadow of Legend in His Final Hour,”
Washington Post
, Mar. 31, 1975.

“You let us down last year”: Wooden with Jamison,
My Personal Best
, p. 197; Wooden with Tobin,
They Call Me Coach
, p. 199.

“If it were just coaching, it wouldn’t be so bad”: “Wooden’s Successor Still a Mystery Man,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 31, 1975.

31. CLEAN GENE

Interviews: Gene Bartow, David Berst, Brent Clark, Gary Cunningham, Larry Farmer, Marques Johnson, John Wooden

“Nobody knew me”: Hall of Fame interview.

“This is the most memorable evening of my athletic career”: “Wooden Honored on 65th Birthday,”
Los Angeles Times
, Oct. 16, 1975.

“But they love him here, don’t they?”: “Pursued by a Very Long Shadow,”
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 17, 1975.

“I don’t think I left the cupboard bare”: “Bartow and UCLA Never Look Back in 88–56 Win,”
Los Angeles Times
, Nov. 22, 1975.

“He makes you want to play more than Coach Wooden did”:
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 17, 1975.

“It used to be that teams were intimidated when they played against us”: “Grim, but They’re Bearing It,”
Sports Illustrated
, Feb. 16, 1976.

“I’m going to answer honestly”: “Wooden Sees It as a Problem of Adjustment,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 20, 1976.

“Why would he say that?”: “Boyd Says Wooden Put Heat on Bartow,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 27, 1976.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ for possibly saving my life”: “Bartow Was in Fear of UCLA Booster,”
Los Angeles Times
, Aug. 4, 1993.

“I thought the writers were very good to him”: “Wooden Still Uses the Press in Some Advice to Bartow,”
Los Angeles Times
, Apr. 25, 1976.

“My job here is to preserve a tradition”: “Bartow Still Has That ‘Problem,’”
Chicago Tribune
, Nov. 27, 1976.

Wooden had a brief health scare: “John Wooden Hospitalized,”
Los Angeles Times
, Dec. 3, 1976.

he added that over his entire career he was only assessed three technical fouls: “A Year Later, Wooden Likes the Refs Better,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 26, 1976.

he wanted “to show how foolish stalling is by holding the ball”: “Wooden: Let’s Help the Defense,”
Washington Post
, Mar. 15, 1977.

Wooden also reluctantly agreed to lend his name to a trophy: “Wooden One,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 8, 1977.

“some Bartow backers wonder how he can ever establish a … identity”: “A Legend Leaves Big Footsteps,”
Los Angeles Times
, Dec. 2, 1976.

“I think he was uncomfortable with my presence”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 133.

Bartow was being interviewed in-studio by a local radio host named Bud Furillo: Heisler,
They Shoot Coaches, Don’t They?
, p. 81.

32. THE SHADOW

Interviews: Lucius Allen, Larry Brown, Brent Clark, Denny Crum, Gary Cunningham, Larry Farmer, Gary Franklin, Greg Goorjian, Jim Harrick, Walt Hazzard, Ken Heitz, Marques Johnson, George Raveling, Earl Schulz, Bill Walton

“When you consider the cost of living, the pay out there is way below par”: “The Garden of Eden Isn’t in Westwood,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 22, 1981.

“I don’t consider Coach Wooden a shadow”: “Cunningham: Wooden Will Be a Big Help,”
Long Beach Press-Telegram
, July 12, 1977.

“I do see a difference—a great difference—in the amount of time that has to be spent on recruiting”: “Cunningham: 33⅓ Coach in a Profession of 78s,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 16, 1979.

“My time at UCLA was very rewarding, but the job was not always fun”: “Wise in the Ways of the Wizard,”
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 30, 1981.

“They were out of balance”: “Anybody’s Game,”
Washington Post
, Feb. 28, 1978.

a youth basketball league in Los Angeles and Orange Counties: “Wooden’s Youth Cage Loop Set,”
Los Angeles Times
, Apr. 6, 1978.

“How many of you remember Pete Blackman?”: “John Wooden: A Man Who Has Stories to Tell,”
Los Angeles Times
, Dec. 1, 1978.

“Before we did it, people said it couldn’t be accomplished”: “Wooden Likes What He Is Seeing in Westwood These Days,”
Los Angeles Times
, Dec. 14, 1979.

He had been hospitalized for pneumonia: “Morgan Retires as UCLA Athletic Director,”
Los Angeles Times
, Oct. 30, 1979.

He later remarked to a reporter that he could “cut [Brown’s] nuts off and he wouldn’t know it until he pulled his pants down”:
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 30, 1981.

“I feared this guy would tear down the program if I fought him”: “Call Him Irreplaceable,”
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 11, 1988.

“I know that I couldn’t afford to take the UCLA job”: “The March of the Wooden Soldiers,”
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 16, 1984.

“This is day one of what I hope won’t be a two-year stint”: “Farmer: Move for Country,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 18, 1981.

“Coach [Wooden], he might let you practice”: Heisler,
They Shoot Coaches, Don’t They?
, p. 133.

“Every one of those men left for better jobs more suited to their needs”:
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 30, 1981.

“I have no fears about comparisons with Coach Wooden”: Ibid.

he gave Gilbert one of his NCAA championship rings: “NCAA Missed the Iceberg in Westwood,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 31, 1982.

After Marques Johnson joined the Milwaukee Bucks, he received a letter from Gilbert claiming that Johnson owed him around $2,000: “Wilkes Says Gilbert Sold Him Down River,”
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 1, 1982.

Gilbert was “closer to the owners than he is to the players”: Scott,
Bill Walton
, p. 168.

“Are you going to use that letter [in the book]?”: Ibid., p. 215.

“called me aside and said, ‘We’re just not going after the institution right now’”: “Sam Gilbert and UCLA,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 31, 1982.

“He came up with zip”: “NCAA Unable to Spot a Pattern,”
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 2, 1982.

Three of those recruits … told investigators that Gilbert had promised that he would provide them with cars:
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 31, 1982.

The
Los Angeles Times
caught wind and published a report: “Car Buying by 4 UCLA Players Spurs Questions,”
Los Angeles Times
, July 27, 1980.

“The world has become too crass”:
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 30, 1981.

The NCAA finally announced its findings on December 10, 1981: NCAA Infractions Report.

“Sam is interested in the program and the kids”: “Who Got UCLA in Trouble? Sam Gilbert’s Role Is Cited,”
Los Angeles Times
, Dec. 10, 1981.

“It’s a terrible thing, a slap in the face to him”: Ibid.

“I felt that the things the NCAA came up with were of an inconsequential nature”: “Wooden: UCLA’s Violations Minor,”
Los Angeles Times
, Dec. 27, 1981.

“I might be a little disillusioned, but I’m certainly not embarrassed”: “Wooden Remembers Booster,”
New York Times
, Feb. 4, 1982.

“he just didn’t want to know”:
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 31, 1982.

“Knight was a great fundamentalist”: John Wooden interview with ESPN, Sept. 29, 2003.

“dictator”: Hall of Fame interview.

“I never threw anything. I never threw a chair”:
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 3, 1989.

Cheaney sent in a videotaped acceptance speech instead of attending: “John Wooden Was the King of a Different (and Not Pristine) Era in College Basketball,”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
, June 10, 2010.

“But I would have played him”: Hill with Wooden,
Be Quick—but Don’t Hurry!
, p. 121.

“The problem we’re having is John Wooden”:
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 4, 1984.

“Maybe that was the case at first, but it shouldn’t be now”: “Wooden: Bruins Seem to Be Playing Scared,”
Los Angeles Herald Examiner
, Feb. 16, 1984.

“I had to tell them I really wasn’t”: “Farmer: It Wasn’t Fair for Me to Stay at UCLA,”
Los Angeles Times
, Apr. 2, 1984.

“Hey, it’s tough here”:
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 16, 1984.

33. THE HARDEST LOSS

Interviews: Gary Cunningham, Michael Gilbert, John Green, Jim Harrick, Jack Hirsch, Marques Johnson, Jim Nielsen, Betty Putnam, Eddie Sheldrake

“Perhaps one of the reasons people still want to hear me”: “Wooden’s Deep Faith Nets Success,”
Miami Herald
, July 5, 1986.

“This is not my cup of tea”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 133.

“I see coaches who have stopped coaching”: “John Wooden’s View from Retirement on Basketball, Discipline,”
Christian Science Monitor
, Mar. 12, 1986.

“I deplore a game of non-action”: “We Aren’t Going to Change, Says Tar Heels’ Smith,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 11, 1982.

“He became much more famous after he retired”: Bisheff,
John Wooden
, p. 185.

“Today’s kids are crying out for discipline”:
Christian Science Monitor
, Mar. 12, 1986.

“I hope the good Lord will forgive my introducer”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 148.

“That’s all a coach is. You’re a teacher”:
Chicago Tribune
, Mar. 5, 1995.

“Now he just coaches the world”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 159.

Her doctors saved her life by massaging her heart for forty-five minutes:
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 4, 1984.

“They never called him, never told him they were coming”:
Miami Herald
, July 5, 1986.

“Dad just never gave up hope”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 261.

“I never broke down in front of my family”:
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 4, 1984.

“It was … the last enjoyable thing she did”:
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 3, 1989.

“He kept copious notes”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 371.

“Your heart would pound”:
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 4, 1984.

“She’s slowly slipping”:
Los Angeles Herald Examiner
, Feb. 28, 1985.

“When she’s awake, she’s very aware, and always thinking of John”: Ibid.

John took her cross and put it in his pocket:
Miami Herald
, July 5, 1986.

When he endorsed checks, he signed her name along with his:
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 3, 1989.

“We thought it would make it easier now”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 262.

“Well, a new one came in and an old one’s going out”: Ibid., p. 239.

“He’s an unmerciful tease”: Ibid., p. 223.

“My knees don’t handle this very well anymore”: “Wooden Holds Court for Last Time,”
Los Angeles Times
, Aug. 20, 1988.

“He was shaving in the bathroom. Tears came to his eyes”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 135.

“I won’t ever leave here, because I see her everywhere”:
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 3, 1989.

“I couldn’t go without her”:
Miami Herald
, July 5, 1986.

“somber, almost melancholy mood”: “A Wizard on Life,”
Long Beach Telegram
, June 29, 1986.

“I don’t think I’m preoccupied with death”: “The Wizard of Willpower,”
Los Angeles Times
, Oct. 14, 1990.

“Almost gone”:
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 3, 1989.

“as if pleased with his actions”: NCAA Infractions Report.

“I think our program has weathered the storm”: “Minor Penalties to UCLA; Gilbert Implicated,”
Los Angeles Times
, Sept. 15, 1987.

a federal grand jury in Miami indicted Gilbert and five other men: “Sports Figure Is Indicted—4 Days After Death,”
Los Angeles Times
, Nov. 26, 1987.

Michael Gilbert would serve five and a half years in federal prison: “Miami Trial Gives Startling New Portrait of Sam Gilbert,”
Los Angeles Times
, Apr. 23, 1990.

34. ANDY

Interviews: Lucius Allen, Gary Cunningham, John Ecker, Keith Erickson, Gary Franklin, Fred Goss, John Green, Andy Hill, Jack Hirsch, Tony Medley, Jerry Norman, Don Saffer, Neville Saner, Terry Schofield, Eddie Sheldrake, Fred Slaughter, Gene Sutherland, John Wooden

“Stop hurrying,” he said. “You’re losing your balance”: Hill with Wooden,
Be Quick—but Don’t Hurry!
, p. 49.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you”: Bisheff,
John Wooden
, p. 165.

“I enjoyed it”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 200.

he frequently claimed that he called time-out in the late stages of NCAA championship games:
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 3, 1989.

“the official thought that I said something that somebody behind me said. But I kept it”:
Wooden: Basketball and Beyond, The Official UCLA Retrospective
(San Diego: Skybox Press, 2011), p. 7.