Not yet 30 at the time and still prone to my voice cracking, I called John Wooden more than 14 years ago to get some of his comments about Lute Olson.

I am convinced Wooden, 85 at the time, thought he was talking to a reporter from the school newspaper, not somebody involved with professional journalism for almost six years at that point. Not only did my voice sound young, I must admit my nerves may have got the best of me when I first connected with Wooden on the phone.

I was not sure whether to refer to him as “Coach Wooden”, “Mr. Wooden”, or simply, “Coach.” Of course, “John” was out of the question.

As the Arizona Daily Star beat reporter of the UA basketball program I had the privilege to interview Wooden for an article I wrote concerning Olson’s decision to move West at the outset of his career to prosper as a coach. The article titled “The road to success: Young Olson found calling by going West” was published Feb. 11, 1996. The experience of talking to Wooden for the article is the highlight of my journalism career.

I’ve had the opportunity to interview many athletes and coaches either alone or in a press-conference setting, including Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Ken Griffey Jr. to name a few, but none of my encounters match the five to 10 minutes I shared with the Wizard of Westwood.

Wooden was respectful to me because that’s the way he conducts himself. He also happened to be talking about one of his favorite people: Olson.

PAC-10 COACHING CAREER WINS

RANK	COACH	SCHOOL	YEARS	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.
1.	Lute Olson	Arizona	24	327	101	.764
2.	John Wooden	UCLA	27	304	74	.810
3.	Slats Gill	Oregon St.	31	276	241	.534
4.	Hec Edmundson	Washington	27	266	146	.646
5.	Mike Montgomery	Stanford/Cal	20	239	124	.658

Olson and his family headed for the better climate and fertile coaching opportunities in California in 1963. He and his wife Bobbi contemplated instead a return to Two Harbors (Minn.) High School to coach after Olson spent a year as a high school counselor in Boulder, Colo. Olson coached four years at Two Harbors before the Olsons left for Boulder.

His masters degree was in guidance and counseling from Augsburg (Minn.) College. He at first believed a counselor position in a large public school system near Denver would be appropriate for his career. However, Olson missed coaching so much that he quit after one year in Boulder and planned to return to Two Harbors to coach.

That’s when Olson heard of a potential opening at a new high school in Anaheim, Calif. Olson, Bobbi and their three kids at the time packed their bags and headed to California. Olson told me in 1996 that the decision to head West was also made because of the extensive community college system in California. Olson always planned ahead for potential enhancements to his career.

Olson was well aware that when he moved his family to southern California that Wooden was in the midst of his first of 10 NCAA championships. The Bruins were en route to a 30-0 season in 1963-64 when Olson uprooted from his Midwest roots and headed to the Los Angeles area.

The move defined Olson’s career because he eventually became acquainted with Wooden through Wooden’s coaching clinics at Pauley Pavilion.

“It was a big move because you never know what could have happened had I gone back to Minnesota,” Olson told me in 1996. “When I left Minnesota the first time, I was offered a position as an assistant back at (his alma mater) Augsburg, and my old coach came to see me to indicate I had been targeted as the person to replace him. If I had stayed in Minnesota, it wouldn’t have been a case of not getting to the college level. It would have just meant being at a small college.”

After Olson was an assistant at Western High School – the only year he was not a head coach in his entire career – he went on to coach Loara High School in Anaheim in 1964 (the job promised him upon his departure from Boulder). He then coached Marina High School in Huntington Beach, Calif., from 1965-69.

Olson took his Marina teams to watch Wooden’s practices at UCLA. That was when Lew Alcindor starred for the Bruins.

“I don’t remember the exact circumstances of meeting Lute, but I recall simply liking him and his devotion to his family and basketball,” Wooden, also a Midwesterner from Martinsville, Ind., told me in that memorable 1996 interview. “We were both from the Midwest area and it seemed like we were in contact a lot more than we are now.”

Wooden then offered a quote that rings in my ears to this day.

“In life, there is love and balance,” he said. “(Olson’s) personal life with his family kept him balanced. I knew he would move up the ladder as a coach and do well wherever he went because he had a strong foundation.”

Olson’s relationship with Wooden grew stronger after Olson was hired as coach of Long Beach City College in 1970. When Long Beach won the state title in 1971, Olson was added to Wooden’s clinic staff. He also took extension courses at UCLA.

“I remember meeting coach Wooden and his wife like it was yesterday,” Bobbi Olson told me in 1996. “I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what outfit to wear when we went out to dinner with them for the first time.”

Wooden took Olson under his wing, to the point where he offered job recommendations for the budding coach. Observers at the time believed Olson might have a place in the UCLA program, but Wooden’s coaching staff was in place and Olson wanted to develop his portfolio as a collegiate head coach.

“Lute was never cut out to be a pro coach, because like me, he enjoyed teaching kids the game in high school or college. I knew he would make it somewhere,” Wooden told me.

Wooden passed away Friday at the UCLA Medical Center after living a full life of 99 years. The mark he made on the game of basketball as a head coach is widespread. He impacted the lives and careers of many who either played for him, coached under him and became acquainted with him (such as Olson).

Without a doubt, Wooden played a significant part in Olson’s development as a coach. The University of Arizona — with its NCAA title in 1997, four Final Four appearances and numerous alumni in the NBA under Olson — should be thankful for Wooden’s influence on the former Arizona head coach.

The Olsons’ move to California in 1963 would not have carried as much significance if Wooden was not around. In my opinion, if Wooden never impacted Olson’s life, the rafters at McKale Center would be void of those championship banners and retired jersey numbers of Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Mike Bibby and Jason Gardner.

One legend (Wooden) begot another (Olson) in the Pac-10. Sean Miller is striving to head down this same path, using a blueprint for success derived from Olson’s motivation after meeting Wooden during UCLA’s historic championship run.

Heavy stuff. No wonder my voice was shaking a bit when Wooden answered my phone call 14 years ago.

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