As much of the older generation of college basketball betting fans discovered in the middle of the 1960s, a good coach is all you need when creating a dynasty. In the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, no coach did more to help his team than the legendary John Wooden. For sports betting fans unfamiliar with Coach Wooden, here is a recap on his illustrious career as a coach.

John Wooden died earlier this year on June 4, 2010 at the tender age of 99 years young. The prime of his career was some 30 plus years ago as he turned UCLA into a basketball juggernaut. Prior to guiding the UCLA Bruins to an astounding 10 National Titles, Wooden himself won a National Title as a player for the Purdue Boilermakers in 1932.

Throughout his tenure as the head coach for the UCLA Bruins, Coach Wooden amassed an overall record of 664 wins and 162 losses for a win percentage of over 800. Wooden initially coached at the University of Indiana before agreeing to join the dying program at UCLA in 1948.

Prior to the 1948 season, the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team could be compared to the Detroit Lions of this decade in that neither was taken seriously when it came to a competitive matchup. When Wooden joined UCLA in 1948, he used the team’s poor reputation to his advantage, as he was able to guide them to an instant turn around, something seen in football not in basketball.

Wooden took the Bruins with a 12 – 13 losing season one year prior and turned them into a perennial powerhouse, guiding the club to a 22 wins and seven losses season. As well he guided the Bruins to four straight Southern Division Championships in his first four years. Suffice to say, if Wooden had never joined UCLA in 1948, they may not have the strong basketball program they do today.