Farewell, Wizard of Westwood: John Wooden Passes Away At Age 99

SB Nation’s UCLA blog, Bruins Nation, prepared a fitting tribute for John Wooden following the passing of the legendary Bruins coach. But of course, John Wooden wasn’t simply a Bruin. He was an exceptional and example-setting human being. Plenty of our other blogs are offering tributes on Saturday.

First up: our WNBA blog, Swish Appeal, spoke to Ann Meyers-Drysdale, general manager of the Phoenix Mercury and vice president of the Phoenix Suns.

Some of the names most often associated with college basketball have spoken regarding the death of John Wooden at the age of 99.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:

Vin Scully, the Dodgers’ longtime announcer and a living legend in the sports world in L.A., paid tribute to the passing of another legend, John Wooden, during the broadcast of the Dodgers-Braves game Friday night.

As always, no one says it better than Vin.

Just a brief note: SB Nation’s UCLA blog, Bruins Nation, is especially mournful of the passing of John Wooden. They’ve switched the blog to a black-and-white appearance in light of Friday night’s news.

Reactions from Bruins fans are already pouring in. If you’d like to pay your respects, head on over to Bruins Nation.

John Wooden retired seven years before I was born. I’ve observed the greatness of the likes of Bobby Cox and Phil Jackson as it unfolded, but not Mr. Wooden’s. I can’t speak as someone who watched him as he coached, because I didn’t, and I can’t speak as a UCLA fan, because I’m not. And yet, his quotes hold a place in my consciousness.

Quotes are dangerous things. By definition, they’re reductive, hyper-simplistic, and usually pithy. That being said, John Wooden’s brief segments of observations -- and he produced many of them -- are valuable.

The children of legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden have released a statement on their father’s death. From Nan and Jim Wooden:

For UCLA fans reaction to the unfortunate news, visit Bruins Nation.

On Friday night, we have terribly sad news to pass along: John Wooden, arguably the most iconic coach in the history of American sports, has passed away at the age of 99 following a series of health complications. From the LA Times:

We use the word “legendary” all the time. This time, we mean it. Wooden was a figure, both professionally and personally, who was universally appreciated by anyone who has ever appreciated the game of basketball. He might just be on the top of a very, very short list.