John Wooden, one of the greatest coaches and positive role models in the history of the NCAA, gave Athletes for a Better World (ABW) permission to present an award in his name. The Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup is presented to six distinguished athletes from any sport – male/female high school, male/female intercollegiate, and male/female professional – who best display character, teamwork, and citizenship, the attributes Athletes for a Better World deems central to transforming individuals, sport, and society.  The award establishes the recipients as athletes of excellence both on and off the field, role models both as performers and persons, the most important and distinctive honor athletes can achieve.

Since 2016, ABW and The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) have formed a partnership to recognize a male and female student-athlete as national scholarship winners and recipients of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup high school division.  The NIAAA’s competition includes an essay portion which asks the applicants to contemplate how the ABW Code for Living has been reflected in their life experiences.

The 19^th Annual Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup
Nomination deadline is midnight, November 18, 2023

Coach Wooden, who won ten national championships during the years 1964-1975 as basketball coach at UCLA, is commonly regarded as the greatest college coach of any sport who ever lived. Universally regarded as one of the finest human beings to ever grace the world of sports, his character, conduct, and selfless gifts stand at the highest level by any standard. When Coach Wooden learned about Athletes for a Better World, he gave authorization to attach his name to this annual award, and he attended and addressed the inaugural event in Los Angeles in 2005.

In his honor, the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup is presented to six distinguished athletes: one male and one female professional or Olympic, one male and one female collegiate athlete, and a male and female from American high schools, for their character and leadership both on and off the field. 

The Wooden Cup is open to all college athletes, in all sports, in all divisions, and is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in college athletics.

Each college or university may nominate one male and one female. For more information about the Nomination Form (one Form upload per athlete), please click the following button to download the nomination form.

Get Nomination Form (PDF)

If you have any questions, please email us at wooden@abw.org.