Many remember John Wooden for his time at UCLA as the most successful coach in college basketball history, but few talk about his playing days.
As it turns out, Wooden was a star point guard at Purdue from 1929-1932. He was a three-time All-American for the Boilermakers; Wooden was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1960 before being inducted as a coach in 1973.
Purdue built a statue to honor Wooden outside of Mackey Arena that will be dedicated on Sept. 24, and it tweeted out a picture of the structure today:
John Wooden statue going up outside Mackey Arena today. Will be dedicated Sept. 24. #Purdue
— Purdue Athletics (@PurdueSports) September 13, 2016
#BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/WEpvQZzrjO
Wooden is a coaching legend in Westwood, but he is a beloved figure in West Lafayette, as well.
