UCLA Pauley Pavilion to host Feb. 24 first day for John Wooden stamp

By Charles Snee

A United States forever commemorative stamp honoring John Wooden, the legendary head coach of the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins basketball team, will be issued Feb. 24 at Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA, 325 Westwood Plaza, in Los Angeles.

Derek Kan, a member of the U.S. Postal Service’s board of governors, will preside over the first-day ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at the pavilion’s east plaza.

The ceremony will take place the same day as UCLA’s home game against the Trojans of the University of Southern California. A start time for that contest has not been announced, but it is likely that tip-off will occur later that afternoon.

UCLA won a record 10 NCAA Division I men’s basketball championships during Wooden’s 27-year tenure. Those 10 wins came during a 12-year span that includes a record seven consecutive championships.

Known as the “Wizard of Westwood,” Wooden coached the Bruins to four perfect 30-0 seasons.

Artist Alexis Franklin created the portrait of Wooden that appears on the stamp. An image in the background shows a player defending a shot by an opposing player.

“The numbers on the two players’ jerseys, 4 and 10, evoke the Bruins’ four perfect seasons and the 10 national championships during Wooden’s tenure,” the USPS said.

According to the Postal Service, a total of 18 million John Wooden stamps will be issued in panes of 20.

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