The Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award is presented annually to a member of the college or professional basketball community who lives out qualities exemplified by Coach John Wooden: outstanding character, integrity, and leadership on the court, in the work place, in the home, and in the community. The award was established in 1998 and was named for head coach John Wooden, who coached at UCLA for 27 years, compiling 620 wins in 767 games. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.[1][2]
| Awarded for | Qualities exemplified by Coach Wooden: outstanding character, integrity, and leadership on the court, in the work place, in the home, and in the community |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Athletes in Action |
| History | |
| First award | 1998 |
| Most recent | Billy Kennedy, Texas A&M and his wife Mary Kennedy |
| Website | legendsbreakfast |
Winners
edit
| Season | Recipient | Schools / notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Marv Harshman | Washington |
| 1998–99 | A.C. Green | NBA All-Star |
| 1999–00 | Jerry Colangelo | USA Basketball Chairman |
| 2000–01 | Junior Bridgeman | 12 Year NBA Veteran, Louisville Final Four 1975 |
| 2001–02 | Mark Price | NBA All-Star |
| 2002–03 | Clark Kellogg | CBS Basketball Analyst |
| 2003–04 | David Robinson | NBA All-Star, MVP |
| 2004–05 | Bobby Jones | 1983 NBA Champion with the 76ers, 5xAll Star, HOFer |
| 2005–06 | Lorenzo Romar | Washington |
| 2006–07 | Jim Haney | Executive Director NABC |
| 2007–08 | Hubert Davis | ESPN College Basketball, 13 year NBA Veteran, North Carolina Final Four 1991 |
| 2008–09 | David Thompson | Basketball Hall of Fame, NC State NCAA Champions 1974 |
| 2009–10 | Don Meyer | Former coach of Northern State, 2009 ESPY Award Winner |
| 2010–11 | Charlie Ward | 1993 Heisman Trophy winner, led the New York Knicks to the NBA Finals 1999 |
| 2011–12 | Homer Drew | Former coach at Valparaiso |
| 2012–13 | Dick Bennett | Former coach at Wisconsin and Washington State |
| 2013–14 | Del Harris | Former NBA coach, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston Rockets |
| 2014–15 | Danny Miles[3] | Former coach at Oregon Tech |
| 2015–16 | Cazzie Russell | Former NBA all-star |
| 2016–17 | Gary Cunningham & Paul Westphal | Former assistant to John Wooden and head coach of UCLA, Former NBA player and coach of the Phoenix Suns |
| 2017–18 | Rick Barnes[4] | Tennessee |
| 2018–19 | John Beilein[5] | Michigan |
| 2020–21 | Billy Kennedy and Mary Kennedy[6][7] | Former coach of Texas A&M and his wife. First couple to receive this award. |
| 2021–22 | Allan Houston | NBA all-star |
| 2022–23 | Scott Drew | Baylor |
References
edit- ^ "Coach John Wooden". CoachWooden.com. John Wooden. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Past Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award Winners". LegendsbBreakfast.net. Athletes in Action Legends Breakfast. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "2015 Coach John Wooden "Keys to Life" Award to Honor NAIA Great". NAIA.org. NAIA. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "BARNES TO RECEIVE ATHLETES IN ACTION'S 2018 COACH WOODEN "KEYS TO LIFE" AWARD". UTSports.com. University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Michigan basketball coach John Beilein honored with award at Final Four". MLive.com. MLive Media Group. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ Eagle staff (February 26, 2020). "Former Texas A&M men's basketball coach, wife earn national award". The Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
- ^ Eldridge, Taylor (April 6, 2021). "Basketball coach Billy Kennedy wins John Wooden Keys award". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved July 14, 2021.