Migration News
From the S&S archives: UCLA coach, Norton head cage clinic
September 15, 1962
Participants in the 1962 USAFE Basketball training school pose for a photo after arriving in Wiesbaden, Germany. They are, left to right, Ben Light, John Wooden, Ken Norton and Joe Zerilla. (Tony Evanoski / ©S&S)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Two veteran collegiate basketball coaches and two outstanding game officials have been named faculty members for USAFE's 1962 basketball training school. The annual clinic is scheduled for Sept, 17-21 at Chateauroux, France.
John Wooden, head basketball coach of UCLA, and Ken Norton, head cage mentor at Manhattan College, will handle the coaching classes. Heading the officials will be Ben Light of Ithaca (N.Y.) College and Joe Zerilla, well-known Pittsburgh-area basketball official.
This year's USAFE basketball program will include 58 varsity teams playing in seven leagues on three continents. Some 600 basketball teams will be fielded in the intramural program.
Twenty-eight European basketball federations and many Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) countries will be sending representatives to the USAFE clinic as in previous years.
Dean of the current AAWA basketball coaches, Wooden holds the distinction of never having had a losing season in a 16-year collegiate coaching career which includes 14 seasons at UCLA and two at Indiana State Teacher's College in Terre Haute, Indiana. His record as a coach is 537 wins and 172 losses.
Now serving as director of athletics at the Christian Brothers (N.Y.) College, Norton has completed 16 successful years as head basketball coach at Manhattan College.
For seven of the past 10 seasons, Norton-coached teams have participated in post-season tournaments. Fn 1957, the Manhattan Jaspers became the first New York-area college team to win the annual Holiday Festival Tournament in Madison Square Garden.
Secretary of Ithaca (N.Y.) College, Ben Light has officiated high school and college basketball since 1930. He is a past president of the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association.
Zerilia. a Duquesne University graduate, officiates in both basketball and football. He is the coach of the Ambridge American Legion baseball team which won the 1961 state championship. Last year Zerilla received a citation from President Kennedy for his contribution over the past 20 years to the youth of America in sports.