John Wooden Day will celebrate the late coach’s legacy of leadership

Students, former players and the mayor of Los Angeles are expected to participate in a day-long celebration for John Wooden on Oct. 14.

Organized by the Undergraduate Students Association Council and various student groups, John Wooden Day is a day of commemoration of the late coach, a man who brought athletic greatness, leadership and inspiration to many generations of Bruins, said Jasmine Hill, president of USAC.

Although USAC and the student groups coordinating the event have the Wooden family’s blessing, their presence is doubtful because they are still grieving, Hill said.

The event will kick off at 9 a.m., with guest speakers honoring Wooden and what he meant and brought to the campus, said Gatsby Miller, USAC general representative.

“John Wooden is possibly the most influential Bruin in history. Everyone knows him, and he shaped so much of how we see ourselves as Bruins because he was a leader and a great athletic figure,” Miller said.

The mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, is tentatively scheduled to appear at the UCLA Community School in downtown Los Angeles and conduct a ceremony commemorating Wooden as part of not only the UCLA community, but the entire Los Angeles area.

The ceremony will be followed by a community service event, during which about 50 student volunteers are scheduled to sit in on classes at two grade schools in Los Angeles and teach students the principles of Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, Hill said. The volunteers will talk to students about the principles Wooden taught in his books and on the basketball court, and will encourage kids to stay in school.

“We’re trying to pass down the legacy of John Wooden to some people who don’t know him, possibly future Bruins. He embodies the Bruin values of integrity and honesty as a teacher, leader and a mentor,” said Matt Spring, general representative for USAC.

Beginning at 5 p.m., the celebration will move to the Wooden Center and will shift to remembering the athletic greatness of the man and all of his accomplishments, Hill said.

The Wooden Center will become a museum of memorabilia, including some furniture from his actual home. The event will also unveil a portrait of John Wooden painted right before his death earlier this year. The artist, Tom Pinch, will be present for the unveiling of his work, which will permanently remain in the Wooden Center after the celebration.

During the event, attendees can watch a tribute video highlighting Wooden’s accomplishments, not only as a great coach and athletic figure at UCLA, but also outside of his basketball career, Spring said.

“A lot of people know about his championships, but not enough about the man and what a leader he was,” Spring said.

Students will be able to interact and participate in the event through spirit events intended to bring out Bruin pride, as well as through trivia contests and gift giveaways, Hill said.

The first 100 students will also receive cupcakes and cake, highlighting that the event is not a memorial, but a celebration of a great man, Spring said.

The festivities will be attended by former and current Bruin basketball players to get the student body excited about the upcoming basketball season.

Yet Hill said what she wants first and foremost is for people to walk away from the event with an appreciation of what Wooden meant to the campus, and what he did for the institution.

“This is such a great opportunity to bring different groups of people together,” she said. “What’s more Bruin than Wooden?”

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