John Wooden: An Olympic story
Jack Herron is a long-time friend of mine. He grew up in Norman, played basketball at Oklahoma State for Henry Iba, went into the Air Force and then went into education, where he started out as a coach at Northwestern Louisiana State and ended up as a school superintendent in Guthrie.
We talked this week, and Herron shared a John Wooden story about Wooden’s omission from ever coaching the U.S. Olympic team. Herron says he hasn’t told this story publicly out of respect for Wooden. Maybe Wooden made his feelings known over the years, but Herron never heard of it.
In this undated, file photo, UCLA coach John Wooden is shown on the UCLA bench. Wooden, college basketball's gentlemanly Wizard of Westwood who built one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports at UCLA and became one of the most revered coaches ever, has died. He was 99. (AP Photo, File)
Herron in fall 1973 had left the military and was coaching in Louisiana. His boss told him to go spend a few days learning from any coach he wished. Herron chose Wooden. Herron worked for Jim Halsten, a Wooden player from the 1950s, and Herron had worked with Bruin center Swen Nater during the 1972 Olympic trials.
Herron flew to Los Angeles and says he was treated royally by Wooden. Went everywhere with him for three days. Workouts, office, home, a booster club meeting.
The latter locale is where Herron said he was from Norman, Oklahoma, and knew a little something about winning streaks and that he expected UCLA’s epic winning streak to continue, even though that next season it ended (at Notre Dame) at 88 games.
Every morning, Herron said, Wooden walked around the track at UCLA and also took some pills for his heart. “I was worried about him,” Herron said. Of course, Wooden would live only another 37 years, dying last week at the age of 99.
During one of those walks, Herron told Wooden, “Coach, I’m personally embarrassed because you’ve never been our Olympic coach.” Herron was involved in the Olympic basketball, through his association with Iba (who coached the U.S. squad in 1964, 1968 and 1972) and with the Air Force. The military in those days had a representative on the basketball selection committee.
Wooden told Herron why there was a chism. The Olympic basketball selections back then were a mess. In the 1960s, the NCAA was starting to supplant the AAU as the primary force of amateur basketball in America. But political wrangling still existed.
During the trials, six all-star teams were brought in. Three from the NCAA, two from the AAU and one from the NAIA. After each day of practice and games, the committee would meet and vote on who deserved spots.
In summer 1964, UCLA was coming off its first NCAA championship. The stars of that teams were guards Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich. Wooden told Herron the Olympic basketball power-brokers had committed to having Goodrich on the team. But when the team was announced, no Goodrich, though Hazzard did make it.
Goodrich was a whale of a player. He’s in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Had a great career with the Lakers, after leading UCLA to two straight NCAA titles.
Wooden said he had a falling out with the Olympic basketball people from then on. In both 1968 and 1972, UCLA’s stars didn’t participate in the Olympic Trials. No Lew Alcindor. No Bill Walton. (Though Nater, Walton’s backup, participated in the ’72 trials.)
Herron said the story made perfect sense to him, because the Olympic basketball politics was “the darndest thing I ever saw.” Herron was part of the 1972 process and said everyone had an agenda. “I think Mr. Wooden was disgusted at the whole thing. What a tragedy he never got to coach the Olympic team.”
Herron said when he saw the upheaval that went on in selecting the team, “I knew we would eventually lose. I hoped it wouldn’t be Mr. Iba who lost.”
Herron said the factions were so splintered, Iba was the only person who could bring agreement from all parties.
Herron’s fears came to pass. The U.S. lost the gold medal to the Soviet Union in that 1972 fiasco of a game.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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