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LOS ANGELES — A limited-edition stamp honoring late UCLA basketball coach John Wooden will go on sale early next year.
The U.S. Postal Service announced the stamp Thursday. Wooden is the second college basketball coach to be honored with a stamp, joining the game’s inventor, James Naismith, who had a stamp in 1961.
Nearly 18 million Forever stamps will be issued featuring an original portrait of the coach who guided UCLA to 10 national championships during his 27-year tenure in Westwood, which ended in 1975.
Wooden died in 2010 at age 99.
The stamp depicts Wooden courtside in the early 1970s, focused on a game and wearing a pinstripe suit, patterned tie and black-framed glasses. The name John is in blue and Wooden is in gold, a nod to the school’s colors. The image is based on a photo by university photographer Norm Schindler.
In the stamp’s background, one player attempts a jump shot as another tries to block it. Their jersey numbers of 4 and 10 signify UCLA’s four undefeated seasons under Wooden and the 10 NCAA championships.
“This stamp is a tribute to Coach Wooden’s remarkable and widespread impact, which extends far beyond UCLA and far beyond basketball,” UCLA chancellor Gene Block said.
The post office in the Reseda section of Los Angeles was named for Wooden in 2006.
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