U.S. Postal Service releases stamp honoring Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer John Wooden

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For Boilermakers who may not have heard, the United States Postal Service recently honored the legendary UCLA coach, Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer and former Purdue University basketball player John Wooden with his very own stamp.

For those who may not have heard of Wooden or seen his statue sitting outside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Wooden was the first player ever to be named a three-time consensus All-American, All-Big Ten, and All-Midwestern. He set a Big 10 scoring record and won the Helms Foundation Award in 1932.

After graduating from Purdue, he went on to coach at South Bend Central High School, Indiana State University, and the University of California at Los Angeles. During his tenure at UCLA, he went on to have a legendary career winning 10 NCAA championships in a 12-year span with the university.

“The stamp features a portrait of Wooden. In the 'UCLA blue' background, a player defends a shot. 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,” reads the postal service’s press release.

A sheet of 20 stamps currently costs $13.60 and is available at the Lafayette downtown Post Office or on the U.S. Postal Service's website.

The postal service is also offering a mounted John Wooden Framed Stamp, which has a piece of artwork featuring a black and white photo of Wooden coaching during a game with a mounted Wooden stamp. The framed stamp goes for $29.95 and is available on the postal service’s website.

The U.S. Postal Service plans to produce 18 million sheets of John Wooden stamp Forever stamps. The stamp was officially released on Feb. 24, 2024.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Indiana basketball legend John Wooden featured on U.S. postal stamp