59. UCLA's final championship with Pete Trgovich

17/02/2025 1h 21min Temporada 2 Episodio 59
59. UCLA's final championship with Pete Trgovich

Listen "59. UCLA's final championship with Pete Trgovich"

Episode Synopsis

The final All-American to play for UCLA's John Wooden was Dave Meyers and on February 17, 1975, Meyers was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as the leading man in the final championship run for the Wizard of Westwood. A bruising big man, Meyers was the center on a team that wasn't supposed to make another run at a title. The dynasty was ended by North Carolina State the year prior... right?
Not so fast. Wooden had one more run in him led by a group of guys who put the team first and checked their egos at the door. Along with Meyers was a tough shooting guard from Indiana by the name of Pete Trgovich who was one of four Bruins to average in double figures that year. After coming up short in the finals a year earlier, Trgovich and his teammates weren't about to let this final opportunity slip away.
A magical run was ahead of them that saw them fight and claw and take home the 10th National Championship in 12 years for Wooden and his Bruins and this one was as special as any of them... maybe more so.
Trgovich tells us how he motivated the team when they were down to Michigan in the first round of the tournament... how he felt for a kid who missed a big free throw for Louisville that allowed UCLA to win their semi-final matchup. And Trgovich gives a raw and honest take on his relationship with his coach. It wasn't what you would think... and the conversation the two had 20 years after Pete played for Wooden that the kid from Indiana has never forgotten.
It's a different look into the last year of Wooden's magical run at UCLA led by a different guy who calls 'em as he sees 'em... then and now. Honest and insightful, Pete Trgovich leaves it all on the line... just like he did when he was lacing it up at Pauley Pavilion 50 years ago. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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