John Wooden, 98, Recovering From Pneumonia
LOS ANGELES- Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was recovering at a hospital Friday from a bout of pneumonia.
The 98-year-old Wooden has been hospitalized for more than a week, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. A spokesman for the UCLA athletic department could not be reached for immediate comment.
Wooden, 98, coached UCLA to a 620-147 record from 1948 to 1975 and won NCAA championships in 10 of his final 12 seasons, including seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971-74 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964 to 1974, both records.
He was hospitalized last February with a hairline fracture of his left wrist and a fractured left collarbone after falling at his Encino condominium.
In May, Wooden became the first basketball figure to receive a plaque in the Coliseum Memorial Court of Honor, which honors figures with ties to the Coliseum and the adjacent Sports Arena. The Sports Arena served as UCLA’s home court from the 1959-60 to 1964-65 seasons.
The Bruins won their first two basketball national championships while playing at the Sports Arena. They also won championships in 1968 and 1972 when the Final Four was played at the Sports Arena.
Wooden has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, was the first person selected for the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach and has a post office and high school named for him in Reseda.
