O.T. The Wizard of Westwood

[Biff]

Ran across this interesting picture of Jabbar and Wooden. I can imagine the WCBB equivalent one day being Lobo and Geno.

 

[arty155]

...interesting picture of Jabbar and Wooden ...equivalent one day being Lobo and Geno.

Didn't know that. Wooden actually required Jabbar take off his shoes for these pictures???

 

[uconnfan68]

Didn't know that. Wooden actually required Jabbar take off his shoes for these pictures???

I see what you did there! Nice job.

 

[Striper69]

Wooden was a good player for a Big Ten team (I think it was Ohio) so he was not short.

 

[cohenzone]

Wooden was a good player for a Big Ten team (I think it was Ohio) so he was not short.

He was about 5'10" When I was in school in the mid-60s, it was not unusual for the forwards to be 6-3 or 6-4. Most guards were 5-8 t0 6-2.

Seeing the Jabbar pic reminded me that when he was being recruited, he was about the only recruit the world followed. UConn fans followed it closely, not because we had a chance at him. but because it was believed he might follow his hs coach who was hired to coach Holy Cross, which UConn fans hated, playing them twice a year. Arrogant fans. We were glad when he went far away. So different then, when everyone watches the dumb recruiting tweets from even #200 in the rankings.

 

[bramos]

Wooden was a good player for a Big Ten team (I think it was Ohio) so he was not short.

All American. Hall of Fame player. Purdue.

 

[Gus Mahler]

All American. Hall of Fame player. Purdue.

I heard it said once that Wooden was the first great basketball player in America.

 

[willtalk]

I heard it said once that Wooden was the first great basketball player in America.

True! But many others thought his style was entirely too Wooden.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never played for UCLA. That was Lew Alcindor.

You got the height differential about right.

 

[bags27]

The man had so much dignity. He was a great, great teacher who led by moral example.

 

[Kmoney]

Unrelated but related

 

[MilfordHusky]

All American. Hall of Fame player. Purdue.

Exactly. Hall of Fame PLAYER before he was a HOF Coach.

 

[alexrgct]

Unrelated but related
View attachment 11952

Yikes- I'd take Andre over Wilt and Ah-nold combined. Andre could throw small car; surely he would have handled those other two elite athletes when he could still execute a drop kick.

But as Wilt himself once said' "No one roots for Goliath".

 

[VAUConnFan]

The man had so much dignity. He was a great, great teacher who led by moral example.

You might find some, myself included, who are not completely sold on the high morality upon which his UCLA program was run.