John Boyd, the man who led USC basketball at the height of John Wooden's UCLA dynasty, died Wednesday in Palm Desert of natural causes, the university announced. He was 84.
A Southern California native and 1948 Alhambra High graduate, Boyd enjoyed other pursuits and coached other places. He sold athletic sneakers, dabbled in real estate and even, in 1969, turned down a chance to replace Bill Van Breda Kolff as coach of the Lakers.
His legacy, though, is tied to the 13 seasons he toiled, from 1966 through '79, at the apex of UCLA's unprecedented basketball dominance.
"I was at the right place at the wrong time," Boyd once told The Times.