Filed under: Purdue
John Wooden was near and dear to the hearts of many across the nation, and that fact became even clearer when he died earlier this year. It's not just people of UCLA who feel a special kinship with the Wizard of Westwood, it's also those from his hometown of Martinsville, Ind., and his alma mater, Purdue University. Wooden played basketball for the Boilermakers all the way back in the early 1930s. He was named the national player of the year as a senior and become the first player in college basketball history to be a three-time consensus All-American.
Thus, Purdue will unveil a new street sign Saturday before the football team plays host to Western Illinois. A portion of road in close proximity to many of Purdue's athletic facilities (including Mackey Arena) will be renamed John R. Wooden Drive.
"While I know he was a Bruin, Coach Wooden never shed his Purdue ties," Purdue athletics director Morgan Burke said in a press release from the school. "It is appropriate that North University Drive passes Lambert Fieldhouse, named after Coach Wooden's coach at Purdue, 'Piggy' Lambert; Mackey Arena, which was dedicated against Coach Wooden's UCLA team in 1967; and the Brees Center, which symbolizes teaching and learning and were keys to Coach Wooden's life."
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