by Seth Davis
“I can’t do it. I can’t do it”: Medley, UCLA Basketball, p. 122.
Warren told Lynn Shackelford that he wanted to ask Wooden to take out Alcindor: Einhorn with Rapoport, How March Became Madness, p. 73.
“I don’t think I would have made the shot anyway”: Ibid.
“Maybe we’ve been winning too much”: Johnson, John Wooden Pyramid of Success, p. 51.
“For the great majority of the audience”: Einhorn with Rapoport, How March Became Madness, p. 51.
“I think he was relieved”: Johnson, John Wooden Pyramid of Success, p. 419.
“I’ll be seeing a pleasant face now”: “Probably Erred Playing Lew Entire Game, Wooden Admits,” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 22, 1968.
“It brought me back to earth in a hurry”: Libby, Walton Gang, p. 185.
Morgan sent Wooden an article: Ibid.
“Why didn’t Coach use Lacey?”: Chapin and Prugh, Wizard of Westwood, p. 167.
“Edgar got his feelings hurt early”: “Differs with Poll,” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 23, 1968.
“He threw the paper down on the floor”: “Lacey May Quit UCLA Cage Team in Dispute,” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 25, 1968.
Wooden favored players who … were “morally right to play”: Lew Alcindor, “A Year of Turmoil and Decision,” Sports Illustrated, Nov. 10, 1969.
“he cannot go with us now”: Los Angeles Times, Jan. 25, 1968.
“He’s just very quiet and sensitive”: “Lacey Quits UCLA Team, Fires Blast at Wooden,” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 29, 1968.
“I’ve never enjoyed playing for that man”: Ibid.
“You aren’t going to print any of this”: Chapin and Prugh, Wizard of Westwood, p. 265.
“I can’t help but believe somebody might be putting words into his mouth”: “Wooden Baffled, Remorseful over Sudden Move by Lacey,” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 30, 1968.
“my most trying year in coaching”: Ibid.
“We lost a potentially great player”: Medley, UCLA Basketball, p. 129.
“Wooden ruined the boy’s life”: Johnson, John Wooden Pyramid of Success, p. 362.
24. KAREEM
Interviews: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lucius Allen, Denny Crum, John Ecker, Fred Goss, Ken Heitz, Mike Lynn, Bob Marcucci, Jerry Norman, Don Saffer, Neville Saner, Terry Schofield, Gene Sutherland, Bill Sweek, Sidney Wicks, John Wooden
“they’re eager to know how to do things”: Wooden interview with Jares.
“J. D. realized these places were sold out”: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.
“Two of his teammates made some remarks”: Wooden interview with ESPN, Mar. 12, 1998.
“I guarantee you Lew’s going to have good shoes”: Joe Jares notes on clinic at Kutsher’s Country Club, June 26, 1967.
“It all depends on how you’re playing”: “The UCLA Dynasty: Behind the Scenes with Lew Alcindor and Company,” Sport, Apr. 1969.
“We black players knew that as a unit we had a lot of power”: “Pride and Prejudice,” Sports Illustrated, July 8, 1968.
they pounded the pipe so hard: Abdul-Jabbar and Knobler, Giant Steps, p. 113.
He bought two tabs: Ibid., p. 138.
a pair of students who had taken LSD came upon him and thought he was an hallucination: Lew Alcindor, “UCLA Was a Mistake,” Sports Illustrated, Nov. 3, 1969.
Sam Gilbert bailed Allen out of jail: Los Angeles Times, Feb. 1, 1982.
“How’s that for a hint?”: Sports Illustrated, Nov. 30, 1970.
“I would discourage anybody from interracial dating”: Ibid.
“His relationships with blacks have no meaning”: Ibid.
“the right man in the right place”: “West of the Wabash,” New Yorker, Mar. 22, 1969.
taped it to his locker: Heisler, They Shoot Coaches, Don’t They?, p. 30.
“It’s a disgrace”: “Tourney Tongues Drip Poison over Bruins’ Olympic Dropout,” Sports Illustrated, Apr. 6, 1968.
“Lacey’s quitting has not appeared to hurt appreciably”: “Rematch for Elvin and Big Lew,” Sports Illustrated, Mar. 18, 1968.
“Revenge is something I don’t harbor”: Ibid.
“I feel like a dead man”: New York Times, Apr. 6, 1968.
“the win last night over Houston was the more satisfying victory”: “Yawn! Bruins Take Win in Stride,” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 24, 1968.
“It’s difficult to do, very difficult”: “Two Routs to a Title,” Sports Illustrated, Apr. 1, 1968.
“I don’t mean to sound derogatory”: Johnson, John Wooden Pyramid of Success, p. 404.
two felony counts of possession of marijuana: “Lucius Allen out on Bail; UCLA Cage Career at End?” Los Angeles Times, May 25, 1968.
He had converted to Islam (and subsequent details): Abdul-Jabbar and Knobler, Giant Steps, pp. 140–41, 166–70; Sports Illustrated, Nov. 3, 1969.
“It wasn’t a friendly type competition with Sidney”: Medley, UCLA Basketball, p. 416.
“I was getting very tired”: Ibid., p. 151.
“That’s the kind of guy Sidney was”: Ibid., p. 418.
“He’s a genius as a coach”: Sport, Apr. 1969.
Wooden erupted: Andrew Hill with John Wooden, Be Quick—but Don’t Hurry! (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), p. 133.
“It’s got to be the constant pressure”: Medley, UCLA Basketball, p. 148.
“I can honestly say that I received more criticism after we won”: Johnson, John Wooden Pyramid of Success, p. 128.
“Then don’t”: Bisheff, John Wooden, p. 40.
“I may appear calm”: Libby, Walton Gang, p. 184.
“When winning becomes that important, I’m getting out”: Chapin and Prugh, Wizard of Westwood, p. 177.
“I think these boys are taut”: “The Week He Finally Got Rid of the Yoke,” Sports Illustrated, Mar. 31, 1969.
“Lucius should be here”: Ibid.
“I look forward to again coaching to try to win”: “UCLA,” Sports Illustrated, Dec. 1, 1969.
25. THE LAST BANQUET
Interviews: Henry Bibby, Kenny Booker, Jay Carty, John Ecker, Dick Enberg, Larry Farmer, Andy Hill, Jim Nielsen, Terry Schofield, Bill Sweek, Jerry Tarkanian, Sidney Wicks, John Wooden
“He goes better with sycamores”: Sports Illustrated, Jan. 6, 1969.
“I’m glad to see Lewis get all he can get”: “Offer to Lew Is ‘Nonsense,’ Says Wooden,” Los Angeles Times, Apr. 1, 1969.
“I don’t think I would have enjoyed working for Jack Kent Cooke”: Bisheff, John Wooden, p. 232.
“I’m very, very sorry to find out”: Chapin and Prugh, Wizard of Westwood, p. 182.
“We are not on the spot like we were before”: “Bruins Will Run and Press Again with Lew Gone,” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 15, 1969.
“Lew really destroyed my confidence”: “Patterson: Nobody Can Replace Lew,” Los Angeles Times, Nov. 30, 1969.
Wicks and Rowe apologized to Wooden: Wooden interview with Akers.
“You don’t have to come to practice”: Hill with Wooden, Be Quick—but Don’t Hurry!, p. 26.
“We had to refrain from being too active after that”: Bisheff, John Wooden, p. 155.
“Everybody is doing something now”: “Lew, Who? Bruins Sharp in Debut,” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 2, 1969.
“I’m like any fan, I guess”: “It’s More Fun Without Lew,” Sports Illustrated, Feb. 2, 1970.
“The esprit de corps was, frankly, not good last year”: Ibid.
“might get a little fat-headed”: Chapin and Prugh, Wizard of Westwood, p. 186.
“It’s more of an achievement to beat Coach Wooden”: Sports Illustrated, Nov. 30, 1970.
“He has no superior”: “Champion Bruins Face Upstart 49ers,” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 12, 1970.
“If anybody has a mystique, it’s Coach Wooden”: “Victory by Mystique,” Sports Illustrated, Mar. 30, 1970.
“discipline against devil-may-care”: “Bruins Turn Aggie Dream into Nightmare,” Los Angeles Times, Mar.
20, 1970.
“That’s beautiful”: Sports Illustrated, Mar. 30, 1970.
“It’s better that we’re not fawned over”: Sports Illustrated, Nov. 30, 1970.
“unequal treatment … double rules standard … lack of communication”: “‘Farewell’ Address by Bruin Sub Upsets Basketball Fete,” Los Angeles Times, May 11, 1970.
“He seemed hurt, for reasons you can imagine”: Ibid.
“crisis of authority”: “Calm Returns to UCLA After Violent Eruption,” Los Angeles Times, May 7, 1970.
“We, the undersigned”: Chapin and Prugh, Wizard of Westwood, p. 191.
“some of the players they seemed to be real pleased”: Medley, UCLA Basketball, p. 179.
he had written the players’ names in alphabetical order: Ibid., p. 178.
“I still think I was right in doing it”: Ibid., p. 179.
“He had been trying to divide and harass us”: Sports Illustrated, Nov. 30, 1970.
“A player gets the treatment he earns and deserves”: Ibid.
“have I been fair?”: Ibid.
26. THE REDHEAD
Interviews: Henry Bibby, Bob Boyd, Denny Crum, Gary Cunningham, Tommy Curtis, Larry Farmer, Ken Heitz, Terry Schofield, Jerry Tarkanian, Bill Walton, Sidney Wicks, Jamaal Wilkes, Charles Young
“as good a prospect”: Libby, Walton Gang, p. 101.
“Let your imagination run wild”: Bisheff, John Wooden, p. 137.
“the ectomorph”: Bill Walton with Gene Wojciechowski, Bill Walton: Nothing but Net (New York: Hyperion, 1994), p. 66.
“I sort of enjoyed standing back there watching”: “Court Trial for UCLA’s New Gang,” Sports Illustrated, Jan. 10, 1972.
attended a concert with his girlfriend: Libby, Walton Gang, p. 100.
“It was a prank, but also a form of rebellion”: Reporter’s file for Time, Feb. 4, 1974.
“The older I get”: “Bruin Cagers ‘Tuning’ Up: ‘Happy Birthday’ to Coach,” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 15, 1970.
“That includes the Bruin team with Gail Goodrich and Walt Hazzard”: “Bruins Breeze Past Baylor in Opening Game, 108–77,” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 5, 1970.
“You guys were late, so you’re not starting”: Johnson, John Wooden Pyramid of Success, pp. 115–16.
“Are you kidding?”: Bisheff, John Wooden, p. 76.
“J. D. was never modest about telling Coach whether he was right or wrong”: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.
“He’d write reports on them”: Ibid.
Morgan invited the two of them to his office: Ibid.
“I could not argue”: Ibid.
“I could tell him like he told me about the scheduling”: Ibid.
“J. D. was a remarkable guy”: Bisheff, John Wooden, p. 75.
“I think that was true at UCLA, to be honest with you”: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.
“I told you, Coach!”: “An Irish Carr Moves into High Gear,” Sports Illustrated, Feb 1, 1971.
“I don’t like stall basketball, but it is legal”: Medley, UCLA Basketball, p. 197.
Wooden chided Ridgle from the bench: Bisheff, John Wooden, p. 41.
Patterson decided he wanted to quit: Hill with Wooden, Be Quick—but Don’t Hurry!, p. 106.
J. D. Morgan started yelling at referee Art White: Bisheff, John Wooden, p. 218.
“Sidney certainly wasn’t one of my better free throw shooters”: Wooden interview with ESPN, Apr. 19, 2000.
“He told me to go sit down”: “A Close One at Last,” Sports Illustrated, Apr. 5, 1971.
“You guys sick?”: “UCLA Stalls Way to 5th Cage Crown,” Sporting News, Apr. 10, 1971.
“I personally would not have done it”: Medley, UCLA Basketball, p. 205.
“I’m sure you writers will put pressure on us”: Libby, Walton Gang, p. 107.
27. SAM
Interviews: Lucius Allen, Henry Bibby, Bob Boyd, Denny Crum, Gary Cunningham, John Ecker, Larry Farmer, Michael Gilbert, Rose Gilbert, Gail Goodrich, Fred Goss, Ken Heitz, Andy Hill, Doug Krikorian, Bob Marcucci, Tom Newell, Jim Nielsen, Don Saffer, Terry Schofield, Jerry Tarkanian, Bill Walton, Bruce Walton, Bob Webb, Sidney Wicks, Jamaal Wilkes, John Wooden, Charles Young
he had filled nearly thirty notebooks: “Court Trial for UCLA’s New Gang,” Sports Illustrated, Jan. 10, 1972.
“He’s so young”: Libby, Walton Gang, p. 112.
assembled a game-by-game prediction: Wooden with Tobin, They Call Me Coach, p. 171.
“It’s belittling and demeaning”: Libby, Walton Gang, p. 250; Medley, UCLA Basketball, p. 212.
“No,” Walton replied: “Walton Stirs Another Bruin Avalanche,” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 1971.
“He may be the most dominant center ever to play basketball”: Sports Illustrated, Jan. 10, 1972.
“Lewis was more phlegmatic”: Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 1971.
Wooden accorded him the unprecedented privilege of calling his own time-out: Wooden with Tobin, They Call Me Coach, p. 183.
“I honestly thought of quitting”: Libby, Walton Gang, p. 37.
“That’s against the law”: Wooden interview with Akers; Sports Illustrated, Apr. 3, 1989.
“I’m really having fun with this team”: Sports Illustrated, Jan. 10, 1972.
Hill conducted a scientific sample of the student body: Hill with Wooden, Be Quick—but Don’t Hurry!, p. 39.
Wooden regaled Swen Nater with plans of going “snipe hunting”: Ibid., p. 44.
“We have this great UCLA image”: “Who Are These Guys?,” Sports Illustrated, Feb. 5, 1973.
“He told me it was disgraceful and unethical”: “Battered Ratleff Accuses Refs of Protecting UCLA,” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 19, 1972.
Walton “cries a lot”: “Oh, Johnny, Oh, Johnny Oh!” Sports Illustrated, Apr. 3, 1972.
“We didn’t play well. There’s no reason for elation”: “Fla. State Loses,” New York Times, Mar. 26, 1972.
“The same thing was said about the Yankees”: “Wooden Defends UCLA’s Domination,” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 28, 1972.
“Sam is the conscience of Sidney Wicks”: “Who Needs an Agent? Bruins Call on Sam,” Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1971.
“No one is worth ten percent of a man’s earnings”: Ibid.
“If a ballplayer impregnated someone, there was always a hospital available. I never paid for it, and it was my case”: “NCAA Missed the Iceberg in Westwood,” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 1982.
“He was a referral service”: Ibid.
“I’m helping put a couple of Chicano and black kids through law school”: Reporter’s file for Time, Feb. 11, 1974.
“Sam Gilbert wasn’t doing it for chemistry majors”: Los Angeles Times, Feb. 1, 1982.
“almost as important to the program as Pauley Pavilion”: “Saga of Papa Sam and the One That Got Away,” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 22, 1975.
“He’s just a great dude”: Reporter’s file for Time, Feb. 11, 1974.
“He’s living in the guest house of a $150,000 home in Brentwood for $150 a month”: “Is Walton Parroting Gilbert?,” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 12, 1974.
“Bill Walton has yet to sleep inside”: Reporter’s file for Time, Feb. 11, 1974.
“I’ve told my family to refer them to Sam Gilbert”: “College Player of the Year,” Sporting News, Mar. 18, 1972.
“Sam’s friendship has meant a lot to my son”: Reporter’s file for Time, Feb. 11, 1974.
“Maybe it’s corny, but I love you”: Ibid.
“I just as politely, as courteously as I could, cut it off”: Johnson, John Wooden Pyramid of Success, p. 93.
“I personally hardly know Sam Gilbert”: Chapin and Prugh, Wizard of Westwood, p. 282.
“You didn’t get the same price everybody else got if Sam sent you”: Wooden interview with Akers.
“I can’t tell Sam Gilbert or anyone else to stay away from my players”: “Wooden: UCLA’s Violations Minor,” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 27, 1981.
; “he turned a blind eye to that”: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.
“J. D. was constantly in trouble with Gilbert”: Ibid.
“If this is now allowed would you please let me know”: J. D. Morgan papers, UCLA Archives.
“A Sam Gilbert gets going because it’s tolerated at the player level and at the coach’s level”: J. D. Morgan Oral History, UCLA Library.
“These kids are lucky to have Sam because nobody else will help them”: Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 1982.
“It’s not like Coach was an ostrich about Sam, but he wouldn’t confront the problem”: Sports Illustrated, Apr. 3, 1989.
28. STREAKING
Interviews: Gene Bartow, Henry Bibby, Tommy Curtis, Larry Farmer, Bill Walton, Bruce Walton, Jamaal Wilkes, John Wooden
“He’s the type who is either totally committed or totally disinterested”: Reporter’s file for Time, Feb. 4, 1974.
“Boy, could he get excited”: “Bill Walton Won’t You Please Play Ball?” Sports Illustrated, Jan. 27, 1975.
“On the floor, Bill was a leader”: “Winning or Waiting, John Wooden Knows Meaning of Pressure,” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 4, 1984.
“I’m going back to the campus” and other details on Walton’s arrest: “Walton Arrested in Sitdown,” Los Angeles Times, May 12, 1972; “Walton Fined, Gets Probation for Protesting,” Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1972; Reporter’s file for Time, May 14, 1972; Reporter’s file for Time, Feb. 4, 1974; “Tall Stories,” Sports Illustrated, May 22, 1972; Chapin and Prugh, Wizard of Westwood, p. 277; Walton with Wojciechowski, Bill Walton, p. 22.
“That is not in my bailiwick”: Sports Illustrated, May 22, 1972.
“I’m sorry it happened”: “‘Sorry It Happened,’ Says UCLA’s Nater,” Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1972.
“I’m not a very strong, pro-Olympic person”: Wooden interview with ESPN, Aug. 13, 2002.
“I really can’t answer that”: Ibid.
“Johnny Wooden … has another side that most people don’t know about”: Phil Jackson and Charley Rosen, More Than a Game (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002), p. 128.
“I was disappointed that our players did not accept the silver medals”: Wooden interview with ESPN, Aug. 13, 2002.
“Thanking you in advance for your consideration in this matter”: “Walton: Basketball’s Vegetarian Tiger,” Time, Feb. 25, 1974.
