Wooden: A Coach's Life (92 page)

“This team has been one of the most difficult teams”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 71.

“played them the only way you can play them”: “Alcindor and Co. Will See More of Stall—Mulligan,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 6, 1966.

“If you drop a pin in Azusa”: “Pressure’s on ‘Poor’ Wooden”:
Los Angeles Times
, May 17, 1966.

he had worked in the publishing and recording divisions of Columbia Pictures … courtesy of an influential UCLA alumnus named Mike Francovich: Abdul-Jabbar and Knobler,
Giant Steps
, p. 118.

1958 Mercedes: Ibid., p. 144.

Wooden invited Alcindor and Allen to his home for Thanksgiving: Ibid., p. 153.

he asked Wooden if he could help out in practice: “Naulls Works to Smooth out Lew’s Rough Edges”:
Los Angeles Times
, Nov. 16, 1966.

“I’m seven feet one and three-eighth inches tall”:
Sports Illustrated
reporter’s file by Jack Tobin, Oct. 15, 1966.

“He just whipped the crap out of us”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 319.

“At times, he frightens me”:
New York Times
, Dec. 5, 1966.

“There’s no such thing”:
New York Times
, Dec. 12, 1966.

“I suppose that if I had one game to play against them”: “He’ll Score 80 Points One of These Nights,”
Christian Science Monitor
, Dec. 14, 1966.

“This game proved that we’re going to be down on certain nights”: “Alcindor Gets 34, Bruins Get Scare,”
Los Angeles Times
, Dec. 23, 1966.

“I must be blind”: Ibid.

a referee who had been the best man at his wedding: “Hello, Drip, Drip! Goodbye, UCLA,”
Sports Illustrated
, Dec. 15, 1969.

J. D. Morgan had convinced the pilot to land the plane in St. Louis: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.

he had received death threats: “Alcindor Threatened, Had Police Bodyguard,”
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 1, 1967.

“Look at that big black freak!”: Wooden with Jamison,
My Personal Best
, p. 154; Wooden interview with ESPN, Mar. 12, 1998.

“I’m still amazed at the way Lew can keep his poise”: “Bears Arouse Alcindor,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 14, 1967.

Instead, he needed seven police officers to escort him: “Bruins Survive Trojans’ Stall to Win in Overtime, 40–35,”
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 5, 1967.

“I don’t think most coaches will try it”: “USC Almost Put Bruins in Freezer,”
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 5, 1967.

“there was no personal criticism intended”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 105.

“Bob had my support in everything he did”: “Trojans’ Hill Reprimands Wooden,”
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 7, 1967.

“All Wooden has to do”: “They Don’t Love UCLA’s Wooden in the Bay Area,”
Los Angeles Herald Examiner
, Feb. 16, 1967.

“We didn’t know exactly what he meant”: Bisheff,
John Wooden
, p. 107.

“Their fans were so happy when they did it”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 108.

“studying the rule book”: “Bruins Figure to Wrap Up AAWU Title over Weekend,”
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 20, 1967.

“one of the nicest people the Lord ever made”: Hall of Fame interview.

“it was my most enjoyable weekend in the Bay Area”: “Must Have Ball to Defeat UCLA,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 7, 1967.

“I beat him one-on-one tonight”: Bisheff,
John Wooden
, p. 112.

23. GAME OF THE CENTURY

Interviews: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lucius Allen, Jay Carty, Keith Erickson, Michael Gilbert, Rose Gilbert, Fred Goss, Ken Heitz, Mike Lynn, Jerry Norman, Don Saffer, Neville Saner, Earl Schulz, Bob Seitzer, Mike Serafin, Gene Sutherland, Bill Sweek

“I had a lot of personal contact with both [Alcindor] and Lucius”: Chapin and Prugh,
Wizard of Westwood
, p. 298.

“one of the mules of the world”: “To Those Who Know Him, Gilbert Is the Godfather,”
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 1, 1982.

“He’s a bundle of dynamite”: Ibid.

“I told Lucius, ‘Man, you become instant Jewish’”: Reporter’s file for
Time
, Feb. 11, 1974.

“I hadn’t met either of them”: “UCLA’s Good Sam,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 20, 1974.

“took a genuine liking to me”: Heisler,
They Shoot Coaches, Don’t They?
, p. 55.

“Sam is everybody’s Jewish grandfather”:
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 1, 1982.

“I had very little respect for the NCAA”: Heisler,
They Shoot Coaches, Don’t They?
, p. 55.

“Sam introduced me to the language of finance”:
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 1, 1982.

“From what Alcindor told me later, no one had any influence”: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.

“Sam steered clear of John Wooden”: Abdul-Jabbar and Knobler,
Giant Steps
, p. 158.

“they say you’re high hat”: “Wooden Concedes UCLA Stronger,”
Los Angeles Times
, Nov. 8, 1967.

“the rule is designed to curtail the ability of one player”: Chapin and Prugh,
Wizard of Westwood
, p. 157.

“I’m not guessing on this”: Wooden interview with Rose.

“people are trying to make it a small man’s game”: Reporter’s file for
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 5, 1967.

“My jump shot is back from the dead”: “Lynn, Lacey Return Welcomed”:
Los Angeles Times
, Oct. 27, 1967.

“Well, I’m glad that’s over”: “Whew! Last-Second Basket by Sweek Edges Purdue,”
Los Angeles Times
, Dec. 3, 1967.

“I made a mistake”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 115.

“Lynn and Lacey were buddying up”: Ibid., p. 117.

The seeds for the most significant game in basketball history: Many details about Eddie Einhorn and TVS come from Eddie Einhorn with Ron Rapoport,
How March Became Madness
(Chicago: Triumph Books, 2006).

“I thought it would be making a spectacle out of the game”: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.

“People were calling and saying, ‘I don’t care where I am’”: Einhorn with Rapoport,
How March Became Madness
, p. 57.

“It is my understanding that Lewis can’t play”: “Alcindor Still Doubtful for Game with Houston,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 19, 1968.

“I can’t do it. I can’t do it”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 122.

Warren told Lynn Shackelford that he wanted to ask Wooden to take out Alcindor: Einhorn with Rapoport,
How March Became Madness
, p. 73.

“I don’t think I would have made the shot anyway”: Ibid.

“Maybe we’ve been winning too much”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 51.

“For the great majority of the audience”: Einhorn with Rapoport,
How March Became Madness
, p. 51.

“I think he was relieved”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 419.

“I’ll be seeing a pleasant face now”: “Probably Erred Playing Lew Entire Game, Wooden Admits,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 22, 1968.

“It brought me back to earth in a hurry”: Libby,
Walton Gang
, p. 185.

Morgan sent Wooden an article: Ibid.

“Why didn’t Coach use Lacey?”: Chapin and Prugh,
Wizard of Westwood
, p. 167.

“Edgar got his feelings hurt early”: “Differs with Poll,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 23, 1968.

“He threw the paper down on the floor”: “Lacey May Quit UCLA Cage Team in Dispute,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 25, 1968.

Wooden favored players who … were “morally right to play”: Lew Alcindor, “A Year of Turmoil and Decision,”
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 10, 1969.

“he cannot go with us now”:
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 25, 1968.

“He’s just very quiet and sensitive”: “Lacey Quits UCLA Team, Fires Blast at Wooden,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 29, 1968.

“I’ve never enjoyed playing for that man”: Ibid.

“You aren’t going to print any of this”: Chapin and Prugh,
Wizard of Westwood
, p. 265.

“I can’t help but believe somebody might be putting words into his mouth”: “Wooden Baffled, Remorseful over Sudden Move by Lacey,”
Los Angeles Times
, Jan. 30, 1968.

“my most trying year in coaching”: Ibid.

“We lost a
potentially
great player”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 129.

“Wooden ruined the boy’s life”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 362.

24. KAREEM

Interviews: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lucius Allen, Denny Crum, John Ecker, Fred Goss, Ken Heitz, Mike Lynn, Bob Marcucci, Jerry Norman, Don Saffer, Neville Saner, Terry Schofield, Gene Sutherland, Bill Sweek, Sidney Wicks, John Wooden

“they’re eager to know how to do things”: Wooden interview with Jares.

“J. D. realized these places were sold out”: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.

“Two of his teammates made some remarks”: Wooden interview with ESPN, Mar. 12, 1998.

“I guarantee you Lew’s going to have good shoes”: Joe Jares notes on clinic at Kutsher’s Country Club, June 26, 1967.

“It all depends on how you’re playing”: “The UCLA Dynasty: Behind the Scenes with Lew Alcindor and Company,”
Sport
, Apr. 1969.

“We black players knew that as a unit we had a lot of power”: “Pride and Prejudice,”
Sports Illustrated
, July 8, 1968.

they pounded the pipe so hard: Abdul-Jabbar and Knobler,
Giant Steps
, p. 113.

He bought two tabs: Ibid., p. 138.

a pair of students who had taken LSD came upon him and thought he was an hallucination: Lew Alcindor, “UCLA Was a Mistake,”
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 3, 1969.

Sam Gilbert bailed Allen out of jail:
Los Angeles Times
, Feb. 1, 1982.

“How’s that for a hint?”:
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 30, 1970.

“I would discourage anybody from interracial dating”: Ibid.

“His relationships with blacks have no meaning”: Ibid.

“the right man in the right place”: “West of the Wabash,”
New Yorker
, Mar. 22, 1969.

taped it to his locker: Heisler,
They Shoot Coaches, Don’t They?
, p. 30.

“It’s a disgrace”: “Tourney Tongues Drip Poison over Bruins’ Olympic Dropout,”
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 6, 1968.

“Lacey’s quitting has not appeared to hurt appreciably”: “Rematch for Elvin and Big Lew,”
Sports Illustrated
, Mar. 18, 1968.

“Revenge is something I don’t harbor”: Ibid.

“I feel like a dead man”:
New York Times
, Apr. 6, 1968.

“the win last night over Houston was the more satisfying victory”: “Yawn! Bruins Take Win in Stride,”
Los Angeles Times
, Mar. 24, 1968.

“It’s difficult to do, very difficult”: “Two Routs to a Title,”
Sports Illustrated
, Apr. 1, 1968.

“I don’t mean to sound derogatory”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 404.

two felony counts of possession of marijuana: “Lucius Allen out on Bail; UCLA Cage Career at End?”
Los Angeles Times
, May 25, 1968.

He had converted to Islam (and subsequent details): Abdul-Jabbar and Knobler,
Giant Steps
, pp. 140–41, 166–70;
Sports Illustrated
, Nov. 3, 1969.

“It wasn’t a friendly type competition with Sidney”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 416.

“I was getting very tired”: Ibid., p. 151.

“That’s the kind of guy Sidney was”: Ibid., p. 418.

“He’s a genius as a coach”:
Sport
, Apr. 1969.

Wooden erupted: Andrew Hill with John Wooden,
Be Quick—but Don’t Hurry!
(New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), p. 133.

“It’s got to be the constant pressure”: Medley,
UCLA Basketball
, p. 148.

“I can honestly say that I received more criticism after we won”: Johnson,
John Wooden Pyramid of Success
, p. 128.

“Then don’t”: Bisheff,
John Wooden
, p. 40.

“I may appear calm”: Libby,
Walton Gang
, p. 184.

“When winning becomes that important, I’m getting out”: Chapin and Prugh,
Wizard of Westwood
, p. 177.

“I think these boys are taut”: “The Week He Finally Got Rid of the Yoke,”
Sports Illustrated
, Mar. 31, 1969.

“Lucius should be here”: Ibid.

“I look forward to again coaching to try to win”: “UCLA,”
Sports Illustrated
, Dec. 1, 1969.

25. THE LAST BANQUET

Interviews: Henry Bibby, Kenny Booker, Jay Carty, John Ecker, Dick Enberg, Larry Farmer, Andy Hill, Jim Nielsen, Terry Schofield, Bill Sweek, Jerry Tarkanian, Sidney Wicks, John Wooden

“He goes better with sycamores”:
Sports Illustrated
, Jan. 6, 1969.

“I’m glad to see Lewis get all he can get”: “Offer to Lew Is ‘Nonsense,’ Says Wooden,”
Los Angeles Times
, Apr. 1, 1969.

“I don’t think I would have enjoyed working for Jack Kent Cooke”: Bisheff,
John Wooden
, p. 232.

“I’m very, very sorry to find out”: Chapin and Prugh,
Wizard of Westwood
, p. 182.

“We are not on the spot like we were before”: “Bruins Will Run and Press Again with Lew Gone,”
Los Angeles Times
, Oct. 15, 1969.

“Lew really destroyed my confidence”: “Patterson: Nobody Can Replace Lew,”
Los Angeles Times
, Nov. 30, 1969.