19 Facts About Neil Johnston

Donald Neil Johnston was an American basketball player and coach.

Neil Johnston was a member of the Philadelphia Warriors for his entire career.

Neil Johnston won an NBA championship with the Warriors in 1956.

Neil Johnston was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1990.

Neil Johnston was a 1946 graduate of Chillicothe High School in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he was an all-state player in basketball.

Neil Johnston averaged 23.7 per game that year, playing only about half of some games.

Neil Johnston was a high jumper on the track team and qualified for the state track meet and he was on the tennis team.

Neil Johnston attended Ohio State University, where he played both baseball and basketball.

Neil Johnston signed a professional baseball contract with the Philadelphia Phillies after two years of college.

Neil Johnston played for the Philadelphia Warriors from 1951 to 1959.

Neil Johnston spent his entire playing career with the Warriors.

Neil Johnston was a member of the Warriors' NBA championship-winning 1956 team.

Neil Johnston played in six NBA All-Star Games, was an All-NBA First Team selection four times, and was an All-NBA Second Team selection once.

Neil Johnston worked as an assistant coach under Jack McCloskey with the Portland Trail Blazers and at Wake Forest University.

Neil Johnston coached the Pittsburgh Rens of the American Basketball League and the Wilmington Blue Bombers of the Eastern Basketball League; in addition, he coached at Chemeketa Community College.

On September 28,1978, Neil Johnston died of a heart attack at age 49 while playing basketball with his son, Scott, in Bedford, Texas.

Neil Johnston was survived by his wife, Phyllis ; three daughters, Nancy, Barbara and Kay; and twin sons Daniel and Scott; and three brothers.

In 1980, Neil Johnston was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Neil Johnston was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.