From the Pyramid of Success to the accomplishments listed below, John Wooden’s impact will never fade. Not on the game of basketball, or the lives of those who knew him.
He won 10 NCAA Mens Basketball Championships
He won seven NCAA Championships in seven consecutive years
He holds the record for most appearances in the Final Four at 16, the most consecutive appearances at 9 and the most victories at 21.
He had 8 perfect PAC 8 Conference season (now the PAC 10)
Many within the basketball world have been remembering Wooden in their own words...
"He's a legend and an icon. He's one of the world's treasures, but especially in L.A..” - Magic Johnson
"His legacy is unmatched. It's unreal. You talk to players that played for him, they all say to a man that he has made them better people, aside from the basketball. Just them as people, he's helped them be better. That's the true testimony to his legacy." – Kobe Bryant
"Forget the coaching part. I wish we could all be that decent.” Doc Rivers
"He was a great teacher, and he was a molder of talent. Basketball was just the means that he affected us, and made us deal with our character issues. Because what we'd learn on the court really did translate to our lives. – Kareem Abdul Jabar
One coach still knows more than all the others combined. And he's been retired for three decades. – Rick Riley
It's that time of year again! The madness is set to The office is buzzing with talks of who will take home the coveted title! We love looking back at Sports Illustrated covers, stories and images of the past and present!
Here is some of our favorite NCAA gear. Find more of your favorite teams at Mitchell & Ness!
James Naismith was a P.E. teacher at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, MA. The head of the physical training department, Dr. Luther Gulick, was concerned about keeping people active during the winter months. During a teaching session on the psychology of physical education, Dr. Gulick brought up his concern that there was not a suitable indooor game to replace football and basketball in the winter months. All of the instructors except one scoffed at the notion that a new indoor activity could be created. That one, of course, was James Naismith.
Naismith struggled for two weeks to come up with an idea that made sense. Everything that he came up with was either too juvenile or too dangerous. He was ready to go to Dr. Gulick to admit to his failure when he decided to give it one more try. He approached his challenge by thinking in a new way. He recognized that all team sports started with a ball so that is where his new game began.
His next question was how to advance the ball. He ruled out tackling and kicking for obvious safety reasons and came up with passing. Now, what was the purpose of passing the ball? He knew that he wanted to add a goal, but hurling a ball at full force in close quarters seemed dangerous. He thought about putting a box on the floor with the goal being to get the ball into the box. He realized that the defense could easily surround the box making it nearly impossible to get the ball into the box. The solution came to him when he realized that putting the box above the players heads would make the game challenging and would promote exercise and athletic skill.
So out of this process came five guiding principles:
- There must be a ball: it should be large, light and handled with the hands.
- There shall be no running with the ball.
- No man on either team shall be restricted from getting the ball at any time that it is in play.
- Both teams are to occupy the same area, yet there is to be no personal contact.
- The goal shall be horizontal and elevated.
The next morning Mr. Naismith went to Mr. Stebbins, the YMCA janitor, looking for two boxes. There were none to be found, but there were two empty peach baskets. Mr. Naismith hung the two baskets at ten feet on the balcony of the gym floor.
Basketball was born.
We can't say for sure that December 1 is the actual day that basketball was first played, but it is certain that Mr. Naismith's development of the game did take place in the early days of December 1891. So, the first of December is widely recognized as the day that basketball was first played.
Thanks to Mr. Naismith for not giving up.
The gymnasium where the first game of basketball took place in December 1891.
The most versatile player of all time? Maybe. The best "big" guard of all time? Perhaps. Basketball legend? Without a doubt.
Oscar Robertson, aka "The Big O", was born on November 24, 1938 in Charlotte, TN. His family moved to Indianapolis, IN when he was four years old. Raised in a very poor and segregated housing project, Oscar learned to play basketball by tossing balls of rubberbands into a peach basket in his backyard. He attended Crispus Attucks High School where he helped to bring the city of Indianapolis their first state basketball championship.
In 1956 The University of Cincinnati offered Oscar a basketball scholarship and he became the first African Amercian to play Bearcats basketball. It was just the first of many records that Robertson would go on to break at Cincinnati. He averaged 33.8 points per game over his three year collegiate career, won the scoring title 3 times, was named College Player of the Year and led his team to 2 Final Fours.
In the 1960 NBA draft the Cincinnati Royals took advantage of what was called a territorial pick. With a territorial pick a team could forfeit their first round pick and select any player from within a 50 mile radius of their home arena. The Royals wisely made Oscar their first territorial pick.
The transition from the college game to the professional one was easy for Robertson. He was named Rookie of the Year for the 1960 - 61 season. From then on the awards and accomplishments came fast and furious. Perhaps the most amazing of all was what Oscar did in only his second year in the league. In the 1961 - 62 season he averaged 30.8 points per game, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists. That's right, he averaged a triple double in his second year in the league. Also note that he was a guard who averaged 12.5 rebounds. Amazing.
Prior to the 1969 - 70 season the Royals hired Bob Cousy to be their head coach. After one season in Cincinnati Cousy shocked the NBA world by trading Oscar to the Milwaukee Bucks for Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk. Fans were devastated. Oscar had become as much a part of Cincinnati as the Reds and the Ohio River. Robertson was as baffled and bothered as the fans - "I think he was wrong and I will never forget it."
The trade turned out to be a positive one because it led to his pairing with Lew Alcindor and the NBA Championship that was the one thing in his career that he had not yet accomplished. Robertson, Alcindor and the Bucks won the title in 1971. Oscar retired after four years with the Bucks at the conclusion of 1973 - 74 season.
"He obviously was unbelievable, way ahead of his time. There is no more complete player than Oscar." Jerry Lucas
Happy 71st Oscar.
To learn more, check out Robertson's autobiography The Big O.
...sitting courtside at the Cavaliers vs.Celtics NBA season opener. You two are living the life. Great Mitchell & Ness track jackets and great seats to a great game. We don't know you, but we kind of wish we did.
