Ben Howland
A defensive architect who rebuilt UCLA into a national powerhouse, his tough, grinding style brought the Bruins back to three straight Final Fours.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American basketball coach·Birthday: May 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ben Howland's coaching philosophy was never about flash; it was built on a foundation of suffocating defense and disciplined, physical play. He cut his teeth turning around programs at Northern Arizona and Pittsburgh, proving he could instill his system anywhere. His arrival at UCLA in 2003 was a homecoming for a program adrift, and he immediately went to work. Howland recruited and developed talents like Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook, molding them into a unit that played with a collective ferocity. From 2006 to 2008, he guided the Bruins to three consecutive Final Fours, restoring the roar to Pauley Pavilion and a sense of identity to one of college basketball's blue bloods. His later tenure ended controversially, but his legacy is that of a master builder who temporarily returned West Coast basketball to its gritty, winning roots.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ben was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ben Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ben's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the UCLA Bruins to three consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances from 2006 to 2008.
- Won four outright Pac-10 regular season championships during his tenure at UCLA.
- Was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2002 while at the University of Pittsburgh.
- Became one of the few coaches to take three different schools (Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh, UCLA) to the NCAA Tournament.
Did You Know?
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV.
As a player, he was a guard at Weber State and led the nation in free-throw percentage (94.1%) during the 1979-80 season.
He is known for his detailed, defensive-oriented scouting reports, which are often described as being like textbooks.
“Defense is effort. It's wanting to stop the other guy. It's a mindset.”
