It's pretty widely accepted as fact that Wooden benefited from lots of cheating done by others.
Kareen Abdul Jabbar noted he took a pay cut when he went pro. It was widely known and there was no effort to hide it in regard to UCLA's cheating.
The NCAA slapped UCLA with 1 year of probation after Wooden retired. They noted that they knew the whole time he cheated, but UCLA was so powerful at the time they could not put them on probation.
I sort of find it ironic that there is a Wooden Award and Wooden is elevated as this icon of excellence and fair play. One again the press has selective amnesia.
As a side note, one must remember that the NCAA was not the huge machine it is today. The NIT was still a rival in basketball (though not of the same level, the field for the NCAA was so small they had legit teams and games). The CFA was threating to break the football money machine away from the NCAA, thus strangling the organization. The NCAA wasn't even involved in women's sports at the time. As a result, they were trying to avoid undermining any support from the top teams in the nation. If any went to leave (and the UCLA dynasty would have been a worst case scenario) it was possible that the NCAA would collapse.
Wooden, thus my friends, gets classified as a POS. He cheated. Never had to answer for it as a coach, or a celebrity afterward. He has had a free ride and has never issued a real mea culpa.
Sam S.
