Hall of Fame
A native of Hall, Ind., John Wooden of Indiana State University was the ninth honoree in the Missouri Valley Conference’s Lifetime Achievement category.
The Lifetime Achievement category honors, when appropriate, former players, coaches, administrators or alumni who competed, worked or attended a current league school.
Wooden served as head men’s basketball coach, baseball coach and director of athletics at Indiana State University for two seasons (1946-48).
While earning his master’s degree at Indiana State, he compiled a 44-15 record as basketball coach while leading the Sycamores to post-season tournament appearances each year.
In 1947, Indiana State received an invitation to play in the NAIB Tournament in Kansas City, but Wooden refused the invitation citing the NAIB’s policy banning African-American players. Clarence Walker, an African-American student-athlete from East Chicago, Ind., was a member of the squad.
In 1948, the NAIB changed the policy, and Indiana State lost to Louisville in the final. In the process, though, Walker became the first African-American to play in any postseason intercollegiate basketball tournament.
Wooden moved on to UCLA, beginning with the 1948-49 campaign. Over the course of his 27 seasons with the Bruins, he posted a 620 victories and led UCLA to 10 NCAA national championships.
A six-time NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year (1964-67-69-70-72-73), he was also selected as The Sporting News Sportsman of the Year in 1970.
A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964 and the Indiana State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.