In the history of college basketball, no coach has nor ever will come close to matching the accoomplishments of John Wooden. In a 12-year span, the "Wizard of Westwood" led UCLA to 10 NCAA titles, including seven in a row (1967-73). Before his coaching fame, John Wooden was himself a three-time Indiana All-State player in high school before attending Purdue University and suiting up for the Boilermakers under coach Ward "Piggy" Lambert. The 5' 10" guard earned three consecutive All-America selections and was named Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year in 1932. Unbeknownst to some, Wooden lettered in baseball at Purdue as well.

Presented here is a circa 1930 original Type 1 photo showing the young, athletically-built John Wooden as a Purdue Boilermaker. One of the earliest known images of Wooden as a college player, this is by far his finest example in full Purdue garb. Taken in a dark gym with ideal photographic spotlighting, Wooden appears in a fundamentally perfect crouched stance dribbling a vintage leather roundball. The photo has minor edge wear, most noticeably along the right side, and some wrinkling along the top edge. The verso has a “Feb 19 1930” dated N.E.A. stamp along with various handwritten notations in pencil including, “Johnny Wooden Purdue Floor Guard.” The photo has a smooth, crease-free surface with exceptional resolution of Wooden's full body. It has been encapsulated as Type I by PSA/DNA.