John Wooden remembered at Vip’s

One long gaze into Vip’s Family Restaurant, and it’s easy to see why John Robert Wooden fell in love with the diner.

There’s Paul Ma, owner of the Tarzana locale for the past 12 years, gliding between tables and welcoming his clientele with a warm handshake and a radiant smile.

Sitting a seat away from the left end of the counter is Gary Stern, a Vip’s regular, quietly perusing the papers over his morning coffee.

In the southeast corner of the L-shaped restaurant sits a jolly consortium of old friends, eight men engaged in a conversation that jumps at any point from life stories, to sports talk, to friendly jabs.

Each of these people is part and parcel a reflection of the late Coach Wooden himself, a man remembered most for his gentle soul, his quiet demeanor and his good humor.

“Coach treated you like a member of his family,” Ma said. “He was like an old friend. Some celebrities can give you an attitude, but Coach knew better; he was just so friendly, especially with the little kids who would come here.”

Almost every morning at around eight, Wooden would take his seat at the booth second to last from the main entrance, place his order for item No. 2 on the breakfast menu ““ an assortment of bacon, scrambled eggs and an English muffin ““ before sipping his cup of hot tea.

And then, the magic would begin.

Amid the buzz of low murmurs, the clinks of silverware and the thuds of coffee mugs, Wooden would engage in deep conversations with the likes of Bill Walton, Mike Warren and other former UCLA basketball players, reliving the glory days of yesteryear.

But more often than not, Wooden would chat with any of the men, women and children gathered there that day, making his presence felt with his transcendent wisdom.

“One day, Coach gave me one of his books,” Ma said. “I read it and I said, “˜Wow, he is a coach for life.’ He was a big influence on me. Being a newcomer from China who didn’t know too much about America, reading the book, I realized why this country is so strong, because of people like Coach.”

For Stern, who first met Wooden during his undergraduate years at UCLA, what was truly remarkable about the man was his ability to connect with people from all walks of life.

“My niece goes to an elementary school in the valley, and he spoke there a few years ago,” Stern said. “I just made a passing comment that I remembered his appearance, and he asked me how my niece was doing. It was just those little things where you felt that as a person who’s not in the public eye, he would, even for a moment or two, talk to you as if you were the only person in the room. He just had that way about him.”

Bob Bennett, a member of the eight-man congregation, recalled his first visit with Wooden at the coach’s condominium in Encino seven years ago after a meal at Vip’s. As nerve-wracking as the occasion may have been, he soon realized that in the presence of Wooden, there was no need to be anxious.

Bennett had brought along three books awaiting Wooden’s autograph, and upon Bennett’s request for his signature, the coach feigned outrage.

“He said, “˜I’m 92 years old, how many books do you have?'” Bennett said. “I told him I had three, at which point he turned to Andy Hill, one of his former players who was sitting next to me on the couch, and he said, “˜Andy, how many of your books are we signing this afternoon?’ (Andy) replied, “˜1,500.'”

“There I was, dripping with sweat, apologizing, and he was having me on. He had a great sense of humor and was just a wonderful, warm person.”

Stroll through the aisles and chat with the restaurant customers, and it becomes quite apparent that John Wooden was more than just a basketball coach. At Vip’s, he no longer was the Wizard of Westwood, but rather just a man of the people.

Even after the passing of Wooden, men like Bob Koss, a former UCLA women’s tennis coach, and another Vip’s regular, still carry on that legacy.

To Koss, Wooden’s outlook on life was simple, yet inspirational.

“Coach’s legacy is really the number and the quality of the people he has impacted,” he said. “One of his adages that I always share with people and live by is, “˜Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.’ That has impact for every aspect of life: anywhere you go, anything you do, all you can ask of yourself is to be the best that you can be.”

As an early Saturday morning dissipates into early afternoon, more and more people come filing in, perhaps to fulfill their appetites, perhaps to pay tribute.

But among the newcomers there looms one figure, quietly taking a seat at the booth just behind the one that had been reserved for John Wooden for more than 10 years, now turned into a memorial.

The loss is portrayed on her face, and she sits in silence for what seems to be an eternity. But after several minutes, she finally speaks.

“He would call this “˜cheers without beers’ because it’s just a nice family place,” Nan Muehlhausen said of her late father. “And if someone wasn’t here for a couple of days, he would start worrying. He wanted to make sure everybody was alright.”

“He was just a very loving man, interested in his fellow man.”

With reports by Sam Strong, Bruin Sports senior staff.