Born in Syracuse, N.Y., Stan Wood moved west as a six-year-old boy and made his indelible mark on the game of golf at the University of Southern California (USC).

As an undergraduate, Wood attended USC where he played on the golf team and served as the sports editor for the Daily Trojan. After graduating, Wood became a professional journalist, writing about golf at the Los Angeles Mirror and serving as publisher for Golden West Golf News. 

One year into his post-college life, he returned to USC and took the job as the head men’s golf coach, a position he would hold for 25 years from 1955 until 1980. During Wood’s tenure, the Trojans men’s golf team played in 22 NCAA Championships, finishing 16 times in the top-10 and seven times in third place. Wood won 14 conference championships across the PAC 8 and PAC 10 and was named Coach of the Year 12 different times. 

Recognized as one of the four “Founding Fathers” of modern collegiate golf, Wood co-created the Golf Coaches Association of America and served as its president in two non-consecutive terms totaling six years. He also served as chairman of the NCAA Golf Committee and is credited with bringing team uniforms to college golf.

At USC, Wood coached many notable players including Al Geiberger, Dave Stockton, Craig Stadler and 57 All-Americans, one of which is his fellow Class of 2025 Southern California Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Bud Bradley. 

After his quarter century of coaching, Wood continued to operate a golf public relations firm and administer tournaments. He suffered a fatal heart attack on the 16^th hole at Los Robles Golf Course in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 79 years old.