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UCLA basketball: John Wooden turns 99

By David Wharton
Staff WriterFollow

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Legendary basketball coach John Wooden turns 99 today and has a message for people who have passed along their best wishes.

‘I want to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of fans who have sent birthday cards and e-mails to me,’ Wooden said.

More than 1,500 people from 13 countries on five continents have posted congratulations on a website created for the occasion.

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According to the university, Wooden will spend the day with his family, which includes two children, seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Over the course of his 27 years at UCLA, he won 10 national championships. A panel of experts gathered by Sporting News recently voted him the greatest coach ever in any sport.

-- David Wharton

Sports Now
David Wharton

David Wharton has filled an array of roles – covering the courts, entertainment, sports and the second Persian Gulf War – since starting as a Los Angeles Times intern in 1982. His work has been honored by organizations such as the Society for Features Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors and has been anthologized in “Best American Sports Writing.” He has also been nominated for an Emmy and has written two books, including “Conquest,” an inside look at USC football during the Pete Carroll era.

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