LOS ANGELES — A U.S. stamp honoring John Wooden was unveiled on the UCLA campus Saturday, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes on hand to honor their coach who led the Bruins to a record 10 national championships in the 1960s and 1970s.
Abdul-Jabbar used a cane to approach the lectern outside the Pauley Pavilion on a sunny day. He underwent hip replacement surgery just before Christmas after falling at a concert. The 76-year-old was known as Lew Alcindor during his college days, when he was a three-time national player of the year.
“There's only one thing I can say and that's, 'Thank you, coach,'” Abdul-Jabbar said. “You gave it to us on both sides, you made us champions and you made us understand life. I don't think any coach can do better than that.”
The stamp shows Wooden with an intense look on his face and two players in the background wearing jerseys with the numbers 4 and 10. Four represents the number of undefeated seasons under Wooden, and 10 is the record number of national championships his teams won in Westwood. .
I had an amazing day at @UCLA celebrating the launch of @USPS' Newest stamp honoring coach John Wooden. His impact on the Bruin community, both on and off the court, is unparalleled. Thank you, coach, for his enduring wisdom. ššš #JohnWoodenStamp pic.twitter.com/7C1UH0y9xn
– Genetic lock (@UCLAchancellor) February 24, 2024
“I feel like his biggest impact will be as the greatest teacher,” said Wilkes, who was wearing a turquoise bolo tie given to him by Wooden. “He gave us a gift, a process in which each of us could live our best life.”
People lined up to buy some of the 18 million wooden stamps that were printed and received a cancellation on the first day with the ZIP code assigned to the UCLA campus.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block called Wooden “the university's most legendary and beloved figure” and noted that Wooden's famous Pyramid of Success was featured on the hit television show “Ted Lasso.”
“The USPS Forever Stamp can be used as postage in perpetuity, never expiring,” Block said, “and that's quite fitting for a man whose eternal, timeless wisdom will continue to shape our lives and the lives of others for centuries. coming.”
Christy Impelman, Wooden's oldest granddaughter, told the crowd that the man known as Dad in his family personally responded to thousands of letters and autograph requests during his lifetime without the help of an assistant.
“He would sign or write and seal the items in an envelope and put a stamp on them. At 99 years old, he used a lot of American postage stamps,” she said, drawing laughter. “This honor today is a true reflection of the way he lived his entire life. Our family is so grateful for USPS and UCLA. It's great to keep his name visible and relevant to younger generations to come.” .
Former UCLA gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field wore a long gray cardigan that she said was a gift from Wooden. The two were close and Wooden regularly attended his team's competitions, as well as men's and women's basketball games, until the last year of his life in 2010.
“The handwritten notes that my husband and I received from Coach Wooden, which he wrote in his beautiful handwriting, put in an envelope and mailed through the United States Postal Service with a stamp, makes this be absolutely, not just appropriate, but brilliant,” he said.
Wooden had a post office in the Reseda section of the San Fernando Valley, near his home, which was named after him in 2006.
The Indiana native is the second college basketball coach to be honored with an American seal. The first was James Naismith, who invented the game.
