Wayne Boulding, a retired school superintendent who was a leader on the Sacramento City College basketball team that won the 1946 national championship, died March 26 at 86.
He died in his sleep at his Auburn home, possibly of heart failure, said his son-in-law, Clayton Hoyle.
Wayne Boulding served in the Coast Guard Reserve during World War II while he attended and played basketball at Sacramento Junior College, as it was known at the time.
Led by coach Ned Kay, the Panthers won local, state and national tournaments and drew sellout crowds to games that were broadcast live on radio.
The team was powered by five starters: Dr. Boulding, John Stanich, Doug Sale, Eldon Bennett and Bob Linck. Dr. Boulding and others were inducted into the SCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
"They were known as the Roller Skate boys, because they played so fast," said SCC coach Andrew Jones, who has written about the school's basketball history.
A 6-foot-1 forward, Dr. Boulding was the third-highest scorer on the team in the 1945-46 season, when the Panthers won the Western States conference championship and the national title, Jones said. He was also the first SCC player to score 30 points in a game against a junior college competitor, Jones said.
He went on to play basketball at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden, who became a lifelong friend.
He graduated in 1949 and earned a master's degree from Chico State University and a doctorate in education from USC.
Born March 13, 1927, in Hazen, Nev., Eugene Wayne Boulding moved as a teenager to Sacramento.
He played basketball and graduated from McClatchy High School.
He taught in the San Juan Unified School District and was a coach and vice principal at Chico High School. He went on to be a superintendent at school districts throughout California, including Placer Joint Union High School District in Auburn.
He settled in Auburn after retiring in 1987 as Burbank schools superintendent. He also worked as an interim superintendent and was a vice president of EDmin, an educational technology company.
Dr. Boulding was married since 1964 to his wife, Carol. He had three children from a previous marriage and was predeceased by his son, Wayne, in 2004.
Besides his wife, survivors include his daughters, Jane Kellam of Redwood City, and Hannah West of Elk; stepchildren, Julie Hoyle of San Diego, Dave Marks of Walnut, and James Marks of Eureka; seven grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.
A private service is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Ronald McDonald House.
Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077. Follow him on Twitter @bob_davila.
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