UCLA to unveil Wooden statue on campus

John Wooden passed away in 2010 at 99.

Henny Ray Abrams/AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- UCLA will unveil a statue of the late basketball coach John Wooden outside newly renovated Pauley Pavilion on Oct. 26.

Members of Wooden's family are expected to attend. The bronze statue was paid for by a donation from athletic boosters and was created by Blair Buswell, who has sculpted many busts of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.

The $136 million renovation of UCLA's basketball arena began in March 2011. The building will re-open at the end of the month.

Wooden's UCLA teams won 10 national championships, including seven straight, during his 12 seasons as coach. He retired in 1975 with a record of 620-147 at UCLA. Wooden died in June 2010 at age 99. The court inside Pauley is named for him and his late wife Nell.

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