Posted this on BruinsNation in a thread about peoples experiences meeting Coach John Wooden: In the late 70’s, I was fortunate enough to live for several years around the block from Coach’s condo in Encino. I was still in college and living with my parents. Coach had recently retired, but was still extremely active. I’d see him just about every day, clad in UCLA warmups, doing what we now call a cardio-walk around our neighborhood. I remember that he carried a long walking stick and moved at a very rapid pace for a man his age. I say I saw him just about every day because I left for school just about the time he’d come by. Coach would usually beat me in saying, Good morning. Even though I had a UCLA Basketball license plate frame and sticker on my car, I always thought was pretty amazing that he take the time to say hi. As I said, this was just about every day for a period of almost two years. I was very shy and Coach was my hero, so I regret to admit that I never tried to engage him in conversation. One night, while having dinner with my parents at a local coffee shop, Coach was there eating by himself (I think it was after Nell passed on), and he apparently recognized me as the kid he often saw on his early morning walks. As he left, he came by our table and said, hello. I was on cloud-9. My parents wanted to know how I knew Coach Wooden. Even after all these years, Coach is still my mentor. I now work at a college and I try everyday to treat our students and faculty as Coach would have wanted me to treat them. Above my desk is a framed copy of the Sports Illustrated cover after he passed and I am honored to know one of Coach’s great-grandchildren who works here on our basketball staff.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 19:09:23 +0000
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