Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

The Bellarmine Medal is a humanitarian award conferred by Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. The award honors people who exemplify charity, justice, and temperateness in facing adversity. Even with the countless awards and achievements in Wooden’s career, he lists the Bellarmine Medal as a special honor; when he received it in 1987, it had never before been awarded to anyone from the world of sports. Likewise, Wooden is especially proud of receiving it because Mother Teresa, a woman whom he respects greatly, had been a previous recipient (70).

The Final Four is the name given to the semi-final round of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament. While the NCAA has trademarked this term because of its widespread association with the men’s NCAA Tournament since the 1970s, it has been commonly used to describe the final four teams surviving in single-elimination tournaments from a variety of different sports and levels over the years. Wooden led the Bruins to 12 Final Fours during his career at UCLA and advanced to win the national championship 10 times.

Indiana State University was known as Indiana State Teachers College from 1929-61. Following his service in World War II, Wooden became the head basketball coach and athletic director there while also teaching and completing his master’s degree in education.