In July 2009, Sporting News Magazine took a bold step to name former UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden as the greatest American athletics coach of all time. To those of us who grew up listening to Dick Enberg call the play-by-play of UCLA's games during the Wooden era, this was no surprise and in fact long over due. While this name spawns a need to do a feature on Wooden alone, his naming caused me to think of all the dominant sports programs that come to mind including such great teams as the New York Yankees, Boston Celtics, Soviet Union Hockey Team and others. This hub highlights some of the greatest sports teams from all major sports. They are listed in no particular order.

UCLA's Basketball under Coach John Wooden is the first team highlighted in this feature on sports' greatest teams. In 27 seasons as head coach of UCLA Basketball, the team never suffered a losing season and eventually won 10 national championships in a span of 12 years including an unprecedented seven straight. From 1972 to 1974, the team accented its dominance of American college basketball by running off 88 consecutive victories. While UCLA drew great talent incuding centers Lew Alcindor (aka Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and Bill Walton, particularly impressive were the championships won in 1970 and 1971 when a smaller UCLA team overcame the likes of 7'2" Artis Gilmore of Jacksonville University to keep the Bruins on top of the basketball charts. Some say UCLA's boosters kept the team stocked with top prospects, but as the 1980s Philadelphia 76ers know it takes more than talent to win championships. Coach John Wooden was the reason UCLA was so dominant for so many years.

The Boston Celtics' dynasty in NBA Basketball from 1957 to 1969 was as equally impressive as UCLA's run in the college ranks. The Boston Celtics led by Coach Red Auerbach and center Bill Russell won an unlikely 11 championships in 13 years.

In the 1900s the New York Yankees won 26 World Series over five eras. From 1949 to 1958 with Casey Stengal at the helm, America's top baseball organization won the Fall Classic 8 times in 10 tries.

From 1954 to 1991, The Soviet Union's National Hockey Team won 30 medals in 31 international competitions including seven Olympic gold medals in nine tries and 19 golds overall.

Notre Dame's reputation as America's premier college football school was molded under the direction of Knute Rockne and the Four Horsemen. Yet, in the 1940s, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame won 4 national championships under the leadership of Coach Frank Leahy.

From 1947 to 1963, the Oklahoma Sooners football team won 145 games, three national championships, and an NCAA Division I record 47 consecutive games. Bud Wilkinson was the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners over that span of time.

Under the direction of Coach Phil Jackson and Superstar Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships in the 1990s.

As an NBA franchise the Los Angeles Lakers have won 15 league championships from 1949 to 2009. In 1972, the team led by Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West won a major sports record 33 consecutive games. In the 1980s, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the Lakers franchise won five chamionships in nine seasons. Under the direction of Phil Jackson, the team has won four more championships since 2000.

Since its establishment in 1909, the Montreal Canadiens (a professional hockey team) have won 24 Stanley Cups including 11 in 20 years and under the direction of Coach Scotty Bowman six in the decade of the 1970s. 

 From 1984 to 1990, led by Wayne Gretzky and Coach Glen Sathers, the professional hockey team Edmonton Oilers won the NHL's Stanley Cup five times.