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This Day in Sports: The John Wooden Dynasty Dawns in Kansas City

John Wooden
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John Wooden was fond of the philosophy, "Speak softly, but carry a rolled-up magazine."

March 21, 1964: For the past 16 years, John Wooden had been at the helm of UCLA's men's basketball program and while successful, had failed to deliver the Bruins the one accolade that they longed for: National Champions. But all of that was about to change.

The Bruins stepped onto the court at that NCAA final with an undefeated record and ready to face the Duke Blue Devils. The Bruins weren't particularly big (their tallest player topped off at 6'5"), but were feared for their fast-break offense and pressure defense. That vaunted combination powered UCLA to 16 consecutive points late in the first half and a 43-30 lead. The Bruins defense frazzled the Blue Devils into committing 24 turnovers on the way to a stunningly easy 98-83 victory before 10,864 fans in Kansas City.

Sharp-shooting guard Gail Goodrich lead the offense with a game-high 27 points and Ken Washington came off the bench to score 26 and grab a game-high 12 rebounds. Despite the fact that the Blue Devils had two players who were 6'10", they were outrebounded, 43-35. Bruin guard, Walt Hazzard, is voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

At 30-0, UCLA is only the third team to go through a season undefeated and win the national title. (San Francisco in 1956 and North Carolina in 1957 were the first two.) This is the first of 10 titles in 12 seasons for coach John Wooden's Bruins and the unofficial beginning of the "Wizard of Westwood's" legendary status.

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