John Wooden Dead at 99

[Bengals>Steelers]

The greatest coach ever IMO

[Wildcat Dad]

We lost a good one.

[gametime]

RIP Coach...

[AverageJoesGym]

Great coach and an even better ambassador for the game. He'll be missed.

[Rockstar]

College basketball lost its biggest icon on this day, and the world lost an even better man.... RIP Coach...

[NEERFAN]

Big loss for all of college hoops.

[AHSPanther23]

RIP Coach Wooden.

[Alabama Larry]

This man loved people and was a special person. Every year the FCA would send him a basketball to sign for their Auction. A few years ago they heard he was not feelin well and decided not to bother him. He called the office a few weeks before the event and was upset because he thought they had forgotten to send him a ball. He just wanted to help the Auction and the FCA. They never again "forgot".

[Clyde]

He'll always be a Dayton Greendevil.

[SportsGuy41017]

This man loved people and was a special person. Every year the FCA would send him a basketball to sign for their Auction. A few years ago they heard he was not feelin well and decided not to bother him. He called the office a few weeks before the event and was upset because he thought they had forgotten to send him a ball. He just wanted to help the Auction and the FCA. They never again "forgot".

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Coach a few times and he was wanting to have a conversation, I noticed he did this with many people who just wanted to say hi and not bother him, a VERY kind and outgoing person. The best time meeting him was when we surprised our summer team while out in LA, as we had it set up to meet him and get a pic of him and the team, the kids were thrilled, as so were their parents. It wasn't like talking to a 96 year old, and he was eager to talk to us about basketball and all, and his time as Dayton HS and him living in Covington.

 

We were to meet him last year as well if he was healthy enough, we heard he wasn't and we didn't bother to ask, we were to meet him again this summer too.

[RockPride]

RIP to a true National Treasure.....his footprint went well beyond that of the hardwood. He's helped to mold leaders out of 1,000's of people in our country, and that can not be measured. God Bless young man.

[Voice of Reason]

He was also a great player before he became a coach. He is the answer to one of my favorite college basketball trivia questions - Who was the first 3 time All American in college basketball .... John Wooden.

[jericho]

The house he still lived in was very modest also. Pictures of family on a the wall, books everywhere. He refused to move out even when he was in a wheelchair because of the memories he had of his wife there. Very Christan man also. He was a very smart man and super teacher of life.

[MountainThunder]

Wooden was truly a national treasure who was not only a great coach, but a class act interested in molding boys into young men. RIP Coach.

[jericho]

4 months away from 100 years old. Every team in college basketball should wear something honoring him this year. Like a black W on the sleave.