Notable Nu’s · Athletics & Education
EP 778 · UCLA Class of 1962
Born
1941, Inglewood, CA
High School
Inglewood High School, Inglewood, CA
Pledged EP
Fall 1960 (pin awarded Fall 1968)
UCLA
Class of 1962
Gary Cunningham co-captained UCLA to its first-ever Final Four, coached Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a freshman, won six NCAA championships as an assistant to John Wooden, and posted the highest winning percentage of any head coach in UCLA basketball history. His .862 record across two seasons has never been touched.
Born in Inglewood, California in 1941, Gary Cunningham enrolled at UCLA and pledged Sigma Nu in the fall of 1960. As a 6’7” forward with serious hard-court commitments, he could not be initiated with his pledge class. He would ultimately receive his pin as part of the Fall 1968 class after EC Jim Zrake and Alumni Board president Bob Meyers successfully petitioned the national fraternity on his behalf — a testament to how much his brothers wanted him in the fold.
During his undergraduate years from 1960 to 1962, Cunningham was known for his sharpshooting, his leadership, and his spine-stretching exercises in the Old Wing hall. He was a three-year starter under legendary coach John Wooden.
“I like to think that our team was the start of Wooden’s dynasty.”
— Gary Cunningham
In his senior year, Cunningham co-captained the Bruins to their first-ever Final Four appearance in the 1962 NCAA Tournament — a milestone that announced UCLA’s arrival as a national basketball powerhouse. He was awarded the prestigious Ducky Drake Award for his inspirational contributions to the team. Teaming up with fellow Sigma Nu brothers Kim Stewart and Jim Milhorn, Cunningham’s squad laid the foundation for everything that followed.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1962, Cunningham took a teaching and coaching assignment at the American School in the Philippines, then returned to UCLA two years later as a teaching assistant in physical education.
In 1965, Cunningham took charge of UCLA’s freshman basketball team and coached a young Lew Alcindor — later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — and Lucius Allen. In a historic game at the newly opened Pauley Pavilion, his freshman team defeated the varsity squad, ranked number one in the nation, by a commanding 75–60 margin.
Promoted to assistant coach under John Wooden in 1967, Cunningham contributed to six NCAA championship teams over the next eight years. Following Wooden’s retirement in 1975, he briefly served as executive director of the UCLA Alumni Association before being called back to the court in 1977 to succeed Gene Bartow as head coach.
In two seasons as head coach, Cunningham led UCLA to a 50–8 record, two Pac-10 championships, and two NCAA Tournament appearances. His .862 winning percentage remains the highest in program history — a record that has stood for over four decades.
He stepped down in 1979 to focus on athletic administration, serving as Athletic Director at Western Oregon State College, the University of Wyoming, Fresno State University, and UC Santa Barbara, where he retired in 2008.
Gary Cunningham’s life — marked by excellence as a player, coach, and administrator — exemplifies the enduring spirit of Epsilon Pi. With his wife Barbara and their two daughters, Erin and Stacy, his legacy continues to inspire. The values instilled in him during his formative years at 601 Gayley never left him — and he’s still showing up at Pauley Pavilion to prove it.
Notable Nu’s is a series celebrating distinguished members of the Epsilon Pi Chapter of Sigma Nu at UCLA.
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