Neil Johnston
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Philadelphia Warriors | February 4, 1929
1961–1963 | Pittsburgh Rens |
Career highlights and awards | |
Career playing statistics | |
Points | 10,023 (19.4 ppg) |
Rebounds | 5,856 (11.3 rpg) |
Assists | 1,269 (2.5 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Career coaching record | |
NBA | 95–59 (.617) |
Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
Donald Neil Johnston (February 4, 1929 – September 28, 1978) was an American
Early life
Johnston was born on February 4, 1929.
Johnston attended Ohio State University, where he played both baseball and basketball.[8]
Johnston signed a professional
Professional basketball career
Johnston played for the Philadelphia Warriors from 1951 to 1959. He spent his entire playing career with the Warriors.[10][11] The 6'8" Johnston was known for his sweeping right-handed hook shot.[12]
Johnston led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons: 1952–53, 1953–54, and 1954–55. During the 1954–55 season, he also won the league's rebounding title. He led the league in field goal percentage in the 1952–53, 1955–56, and 1956–57 seasons.[13][1]
Johnston was a member of the Warriors' NBA championship-winning 1956 team. He played in six NBA All-Star Games,[9] was an All-NBA First Team selection four times, and was an All-NBA Second Team selection once.[2]
Johnston was forced to retire after the 1958–59 season due to a knee injury.[9][13] During his eight-year career, he averaged 19.4 points per game, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, with a field goal percentage of .444 and a free throw percentage of .768.[1]
Coaching career
After his playing career ended, Johnston was head coach of the Philadelphia Warriors during the 1959–60 and 1960–61 seasons before resigning. Johnston coached the Warriors during the first two seasons of Wilt Chamberlain's NBA career, compiling a record of 95–59. He also worked as an assistant coach under Jack McCloskey with the Portland Trail Blazers and at Wake Forest University.[9]
Johnston coached the
Death and legacy
On September 28, 1978, Johnston died of a heart attack at age 49 while playing basketball with his son, Scott, in Bedford, Texas.[16][9] A memorial service was held at North Lake College and at St. Paul's Methodist Church in Hurst, Texas.[17] He was survived by his wife, Phyllis (Wilson); three daughters, Nancy, Barbara and Kay; and twin sons Daniel and Scott; and three brothers.[18][19]
In 1980, Johnston was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.[20] In 1990, he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame[13][21] and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.[2] Johnston was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.[22]
NBA career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
† | Won an NBA championship | * | Led the league |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1951–52 | Philadelphia | 64 | 15.5 | 472 | .662 | 5.3 | 0.6 | 6.0 |
1952–53 | Philadelphia | 70 | 45.2* | .452* | .700 | 13.9 | 2.8 | 22.3* |
1953–54 | Philadelphia | 72 | 45.8* | .449 | .747 | 11.1 | 2.8 | 24.4* |
1954–55 | Philadelphia | 72 | 40.5 | .440 | .766 | 15.1 | 3.0 | 22.7* |
1955–56† | Philadelphia | 70 | 37.1 | .457* | .801 | 12.5 | 3.2 | 22.1 |
1956–57 | Philadelphia | 69 | 36.7 | .447* | .826 | 12.4 | 2.9 | 22.8 |
1957–58 | Philadelphia | 71 | 33.9 | .429 | .819 | 11.1 | 2.3 | 19.5 |
1958–59 | Philadelphia | 28 | 14.0 | .329 | .784 | 5.0 | 0.8 | 6.3 |
Career | 516 | 35.5 | .444 | .768 | 11.3 | 2.5 | 19.4 | |
All-Star | 6 | 22.0 | .429 | .696 | 8.6 | 1.0 | 11.7 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1952
|
Philadelphia | 3 | 10.7 | .500 | .750 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 5.3 |
1956 †
|
Philadelphia | 10 | 39.7 | .408 | .707 | 14.3 | 5.1 | 20.3 |
1957
|
Philadelphia | 2 | 42.0 | .321 | .667 | 17.5 | 4.5 | 19.0 |
1958
|
Philadelphia | 8 | 23.96 | .385 | .818 | 8.6 | 1.8 | 10.9 |
Career | 23 | 30.5 | .390 | .734 | 11.2 | 3.3 | 15.0 |
See also
- List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season
- List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders
References
- ^ a b c "Neil Johnston Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c "Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame". ohiobasketballhalloffame.com.
- ^ "22 Feb 1946, 12 – Chillicothe Gazette at". Newspapers.com. February 22, 1946. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "4 Mar 1946, 8 – Chillicothe Gazette at". Newspapers.com. March 4, 1946. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "12 Mar 1946, 8 – Chillicothe Gazette at". Newspapers.com. March 12, 1946. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "27 Apr 1946, 8 – Chillicothe Gazette at". Newspapers.com. April 27, 1946. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "26 May 1945, 10 – Chillicothe Gazette at". Newspapers.com. May 26, 1945. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "'A Night for Neil' to raise statue funds". Chillicothe Gazette.
- ^ Philadelphia Inquirer
- ^ Mujaddidi, Moneer. "10 Greatest Golden State Warriors of All Time". Bleacher Report.
- ^ Mathur, Ashish (April 9, 2020). "Best Centers In Warriors History, Ranked". ClutchPoints.
- ^ D'Adamo, Vince (December 20, 2020). "Vince D'Adamo: Golden State Warriors Dream Team mix of new, ancient players". Napa Valley Register.
- ^ a b c d "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Neil Johnston". www.hoophall.com.
- ^ "Neil Johnston, NBA Hall of Famer, Obituary, Statesman Journal (Salem, OR), September 29, 1978". Statesman Journal. September 29, 1978. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
- ISBN 9780810875067.
- ^ Balusik, Chris. "Work advances for NBA star's statue at CHS". Chillicothe Gazette.
- ^ "29 Sep 1978, Page 2 – Irving Daily News at". Newspapers.com. September 29, 1978. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "29 Sep 1978, Page 1 – Statesman Journal at". Newspapers.com. September 29, 1978. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "29 Sep 1978, Page 21 – The Philadelphia Inquirer at". Newspapers.com. September 29, 1978. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Throwback Thursday (Class of 1980)". Pasportshof.org. February 17, 2016.
- ^ "Hayes, Bing, Monroe in Hall of Fame : Basketball: Neil Johnston, a scoring champion in the 1950s, is also selected for May 15 induction". Los Angeles Times. February 9, 1990.
- ^ "Donald Neil Johnston". CollegeBasketballExperience.com. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
Further reading
- Alex Sachare, 100 Greatest Basketball Players of all Time (1997) ISBN 0-671-01168-5