John R. Wooden Award
Coach John R. Wooden
Awarded forthe most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players
CountryUnited States
Presented byLos Angeles Athletic Club
History
First award1977
Most recentZach Edey, Purdue (men's)
Caitlin Clark, Iowa (women's)
WebsiteOfficial site

The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the All–America Teams.

The awards, given by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, are named in honor of John Wooden, the 1932 national collegiate basketball player of the year from Purdue. Wooden later taught and coached men's basketball at Indiana State and UCLA. Coach Wooden, whose teams at UCLA won ten NCAA championships, was the first man to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. His 1948 Indiana State team was the NAIB (now NAIA) National Finalist.

The award, which was originally given only to male athletes, was first given in 1977. Starting in 2004, the award was extended to women's basketball. Additionally, the Legends of Coaching Award was presented first in 1999.

Selection process

Men's award

Each year, the Award's National Advisory Board, a 26-member panel, selects approximately 20 candidates for Player of the Year and All-American Team honors. The candidates must be full-time students and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher throughout their college career. Players who are nominated must have made outstanding contributions to team play, both offensively and defensively, and be model citizens, exhibiting strength of character both on and off the court.

The selection ballot is announced prior to the NCAA basketball tournament. The voters consist of 1,000 sportswriters and sportscasters representing the 50 states.

The top ten vote-getters are selected to the All-American Team, and the results are announced following the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. The person who receives the most votes is named the Player of the Year, and the winner is announced following the NCAA championship game.

The Player of the Year is awarded a trophy consisting of five bronze figures. The player's school receives a duplicate trophy as well as a scholarship grant. The other top four members of the All-American Team receive an All-American Team trophy, a jacket, and a scholarship grant which goes to their school. Each coach of the top five All-American Team members also receives a jacket. The All-American Team members ranked six through ten receive an All-American Team trophy and a jacket, but their schools do not receive a scholarship.

Women's award

The criteria for the women's Player of the Year award and All-American Team honors are similar to those for the men. For the women's award, the National Advisory Board consists of 12 members, and approximately 15 candidates are selected for the ballot. The voters are 250 sportswriters and sportscasters.

In contrast to the men's All-American Team, only five members are selected for the women's team. The Player of the Year receives a trophy, and her school receives a duplicate trophy and a scholarship grant.

The trophy

The trophy features five bronze figures, each depicting one of the five major skills that Wooden believed that "total" basketball player must exhibit: rebounding, passing, shooting, dribbling, and defense.

The concept for the trophy originated with Wooden Award Chairman, Richard "Duke" Llewellyn. Work began on the trophy in 1975, and sculptor Don Winton, who had sculpted many top sports awards, was given the task of designing the model of the trophy.

The figures are bronze plated and attached to a pentagonal base plate. The tallest figure is 101⁄4 inches high (26 cm). The trophy's base is 71⁄2 inches high (19 cm), and is made from solid walnut. The total height of the trophy is 17+3⁄4 inches (45 cm), and it weighs 25 lb (11 kg).

Wooden Award winners

Trademark dispute

The Wooden family announced in August 2005 that he would no longer participate because of a trademark dispute concerning the use of his name.[32][33] However, he never contested the use of his name prior to his death in 2010, and the award continues to bear his name. “I don’t want anything to interfere with the continuation of the award,” (Wooden) told The Associated Press at the time.[34] In 2011 the Wooden Family began participation. Coach John Wooden's son, Jim, presented the Wooden Award to Brigham Young senior Jimmer Fredette.[35] In 2012 John Wooden's grandson, Greg, on behalf of The Los Angeles Athletic Club, presented the Wooden Award to University of Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis. Greg Wooden made the announcement on ESPN College GameDay.[36]

High School Player of the Year Award

The John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year awards are given to the most valuable player in each of the five divisions of the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section, and one Los Angeles City division.

Legends of Coaching Award

The Legends of Coaching Award recognizes the lifetime achievement of coaches who exemplify Coach Wooden's high standards of coaching success and personal achievement. When selecting the individual, the Wooden Award Committee considers a coach's character, success rate on the court, graduating rate of student athletes, his or her coaching philosophy, and identification with the goals of the John R. Wooden Award.

All listed honorees coached in the men's game unless otherwise noted. The first recipient who was never a head coach in NCAA Division I was 2021 recipient Dave Yanai, whose entire head coaching career was in NCAA Division II.

Dean Smith's Legends of Coaching Award.
Pat Summitt was the first female coach selected.
Mike Montgomery won the award while still at Stanford.
Jim Calhoun of Connecticut received the award in 2005.
Season Coach School(s)
1998–99 Dean Smith[37] North Carolina
1999–00 Mike Krzyzewski[38] Duke
2000–01 Lute Olson[39] Arizona
2001–02 Denny Crum[40] Louisville
2002–03 Roy Williams[41] Kansas
2003–04 Mike Montgomery[29] Stanford
2004–05 Jim Calhoun[42] Connecticut
2005–06 Jim Boeheim[43] Syracuse
2006–07 Gene Keady[44] Purdue
2007–08 Pat Summitt[45] Tennessee (women)
2008–09 Rick Barnes[46] Texas
2009–10 Billy Donovan[47] Florida
2010–11 Tom Izzo[48] Michigan State
2011–12 Geno Auriemma[49] Connecticut (women)
2012–13 Bill Self[50] Kansas
2013–14 Tara VanDerveer [51] Stanford (women)
2014–15 Steve Fisher[52] San Diego State
2015–16 Tubby Smith[53] Texas Tech
2016–17 Muffet McGraw[54] Notre Dame (women)
2017–18 Jay Wright[55] Villanova
2018–19 Lon Kruger[56] Oklahoma
2019–20 C. Vivian Stringer[57] Rutgers (women)
2020–21 Dave Yanai[58] Cal State Dominguez Hills &
Cal State Los Angeles
2021–22 Rick Byrd[59] Belmont
2022–23 Dawn Staley[60] South Carolina (women)
2023–24 John Calipari[61] Kentucky

See also

References

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  2. ^ Nadel, John (April 4, 1991). "UNLV's Larry Johnson Wins Wooden Award". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. Associated Press. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
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  4. ^ "Indiana's Cheaney Wins Wooden Award". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. Associated Press. April 8, 1993. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
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  6. ^ "Ed O'Bannon Wins Wooden Award". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. April 8, 1995. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
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  12. ^ "Shane Battier Wins Wooden Award". The Tribune. Coschocton, Ohio. Associated Press. April 7, 2001. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Norwood, Robyn (April 8, 2002). "Wooden Award Goes to Williams". Los Angeles Times. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Texas' T.J. Ford wins Wooden Award". Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. Associated Press. April 13, 2003. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Harris, Beth (April 11, 2004). "Saint Joseph's Nelson wins Wooden Award". Longview News Journal. Longview, Texas. Associated Press. p. 29.
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  17. ^ a b "Basketball". Tampa Bay Times. st. Petersburg, Florida. April 8, 2007. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b Pucin, Diane (April 12, 2008). "Hanbrough, Parker win Wooden Awards". Los Angeles Times. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b Altavilla, John (April 11, 2009). "Moore Adds Wooden to Haul". Hartford Courant. p. B03 – via Newspapers.com.
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  21. ^ a b Altavilla, John (April 9, 2011). "Maya Moore Wins Second Wooden Award". Hartford Courant. p. C01 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ a b Harris, Beth (April 7, 2012). "Davis, Griner grab Wooden Award in L.A." The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, California. Associated Press. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b "Griner, Burke to get Wooden Awards". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. April 13, 2013. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b "Creighton's McDermott Honored". The Greenwood Commonwealth. Greenwood, Mississippi. Associated Press. April 13, 2014. p. B006.
  25. ^ a b Harris, Beth (April 12, 2015). "Kaminsky, Stewart take Wooden honors". The Courier-Journal. p. C12 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b Altavilla, John (April 9, 2016). "Stewart Wins Her Second Wooden Award". Hartford Courant. p. C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ a b Harris, Beth (April 8, 2017). "Mason, Plum win Wooden Awards". Reno Gazette-Journal. Associated Press. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ a b "Winners Named for John R. Wooden Award During College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy's on ESPN2" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  29. ^ a b Norwood, Robyn (April 11, 2004). "The Best is Definitely Last for Busy Nelson". Los Angeles Times. p. 56 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "South Carolina's Aliyah Boston Wins 2022 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's Women's Player of the Year" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  31. ^ "IOWA'S CAITLIN CLARK WINS 2023 JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD PRESENTED BY WENDY'S WOMEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR".
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  34. ^ "Wooden withdraws support for Wooden Award – Club unhappy coach allowed his name on another award". Nbcsports.msnbc.com. August 27, 2005. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
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  36. ^ "36th John R. Wooden Award Presented To Anthony Davis Of Kentucky".
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  39. ^ "Wake Forest Upsets Kansas; Tennessee Survives SMU". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press. December 8, 2000. p. 314 – via Newspapers.com.
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  42. ^ "Wooden Award Finalists Named". Hartford Courant. March 30, 2005. p. C05 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ Watkins, Eric (October 10, 2017). "Jay Wright Earns 2018 Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Honor". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
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  45. ^ "Major Career Achievements". Nashville Post. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  46. ^ Rosner, Mark (October 15, 2009). "Ward shows great improvement, is 'shooting the ball with confidence'". Austin American-Statesman. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ "Florida's Donovan Wins Wooden Award". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. April 9, 2010. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ "A legendary night in LA". Lansing State Journal. Lansing. April 10, 2011. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ "Auriemma to receive Wooden award". CTPost. October 12, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  50. ^ "Bill Self to receive the Wooden's Awards 'Legends of Coaching' honor in 2013". KU Sports. October 10, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  51. ^ Pucin, Diane (November 12, 2013). "Two UCLA players make preseason Wooden Award list". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  52. ^ Ibarra, Kristian (October 3, 2014). "Fisher nets Legends coaching award". The Daily Aztec. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  53. ^ "Texas Tech's Tubby Smith Named 2016 John R. Wooden Award "Legends of Coaching" Recipient". Texas Tech. October 13, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  54. ^ "Muffet McGraw Named 2017 Wooden Legends of Coaching Award Recipient" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. October 12, 2016. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  55. ^ "Jay Wright of Villanova Named 2018 John R. WoodenAward Legends of Coaching Recipient" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. October 10, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  56. ^ "Lon Kruger of Oklahoma Named 2019 John R. WoodenAward Legends of Coaching Recipient" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. October 9, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  57. ^ "C. Vivian Stringer of Rutgers Named 2020 John R. WoodenAward Legends of Coaching Recipient" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  58. ^ "Dave Yanai Named 2021 John R. Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Recipient" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. November 18, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  59. ^ "Rick Byrd Named 2022 John R. Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Recipient" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  60. ^ "Dawn Staley Named 2023 John R. Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Recipient" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  61. ^ "John Calipari Named 2024 John R. Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Recipient" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.

External links

U.S. men's college basketball awards
U.S. women's college basketball awards
John R. Wooden Men's Player of the Year Award winners
John R. Wooden Women's Player of the Year Award winners
John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award winners
Categories