Bidding Begins in Grey Flannel's Auction of Iconic Jacket Worn Throughout Career of UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden

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May 06, 2011, 09:38 ET

WESTHAMPTON, N.Y., May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The iconic team jacket worn by UCLA head basketball coach John Wooden throughout his stellar career with the Bruins will be sold to the highest bidder in a New York auction on May 11. Phone and Internet bidding has begun and the jacket has already reached $78,469.

"What makes this jacket so special is that it's a trademark item of clothing," said Richard E. Russek, president of Grey Flannel Auctions, the company handling the jacket's sale. "We have photos spanning decades of Mr. Wooden's career in which he is consistently seen wearing the jacket to and from games and at practices. He even wore it to his 50th birthday party. It was obviously very meaningful to him." Wooden died last June, four months shy of his 100th birthday.

Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood," Wooden chalked up an incomparable coaching record in his lifetime. He guided the Bruins to 10 NCAA national championships over a 12-year period, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, UCLA won a record 88 consecutive games. Six times, Wooden was named coach of the year.

But Wooden's string of achievements began long before his days of mentoring players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. He was the first college player to be named basketball All-American three times; and he played on a national championship team at Purdue. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice – as a player in 1961 and a coach in 1973. Only two others honorees have joined Wooden in this elite dual-category achievement.

"In my opinion, this jacket belongs in the Smithsonian," Russek said. "It's symbolizes American achievement at its finest.'"

The May 11 auction contains game-worn apparel, equipment, jewelry and autographed material associated with hundreds of professional sports superstars. Among the highlights are Julius "Dr. J" Erving's 1972-73 game-used Virginia Squires ABA road jersey, and the largest selection of players' championship rings ever seen in a single auction, including the Super Bowl I player's ring belonging to former Green Bay Packer Steve Wright. Russek said that, to his knowledge, this is the first time an authentic player's ring from Super Bowl I has ever come to auction. The current bid on the ring is $45,960.

Online: www.greyflannelauctions.com

SOURCE Grey Flannel Auctions