Stewart "Stew" Johnson (born August 19, 1944) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. A tall forward/ center from

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, in the Southern United States. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level an ...

, who was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Johnson was selected by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

in the third round of the 1966 NBA draft. However, Johnson never played in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, joining the rival

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

instead.

College career

Johnson broke the color barrier as the first black varsity basketball player for a four-year program in the southeastern United States (not including

historically black colleges and universities Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

), as he suited up for Murray State University of the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

in 1963. In his three seasons of varsity basketball at Murray State, he played in 76 games and averaged 16.8 points averaged 12.9 rebounds while shooting for a .417 field goal percentage and a .731 free throw percentage. He scored a total of 1,275 points in his career. A two-time All-OVC selection, Johnson averaged 20.0 points and 14.1 rebounds as a junior, as his rebounding average ranked second in conference statistics. Johnson was a regular on three consecutive winning Racer teams, as he helped Murray State to an OVC championship in 1963–64. He served as team co-captain his senior season. He is a member of the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame, inducted in 1979.

Playing career

NABL

Johnson spent the 1966–67 season in the North American Basketball League with Benton Harbor/Twin City Sailors and the Holland Carvers.

ABA

Johnson played nine seasons (1967–1976) in the ABA with seven different franchises: the

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were an American professional basketball team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colo ...

(1967),

New Jersey Americans New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

New York Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

(1967–69),

Houston Mavericks The Houston Mavericks were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in the upstart league's first two seasons, from 1967–68 ABA season, 1967 to 1968–69 ABA season, 1969. Their home arena was the Sam Houston Co ...

(1968–69), Pittsburgh Pipers / Condors (1969–1971),

Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Ca ...

(1971–72), San Diego Conquistadors (1972–1974),

Memphis Sounds The Memphis Sounds were an American professional sports franchise that played in Memphis, Tennessee from 1970 until 1975 as a member of the American Basketball Association. The team was first founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967. Known d ...

(1974–75), Baltimore Claws (1975–76, who played only 3 preseason games), San Diego Sails (1975) and

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

(1975–76) In his ABA career Johnson scored 10,538 career points. He was known for his sweet shooting stroke. He had the ability to drain long jumpers and had range out to the three-point arc. He filled in admirably at center for the '71–'72 Cougar team after Jim McDaniels ignored his contract with the Cougars and jumped to the Seattle SuperSonics. He also made three ABA All-Star Game appearances (

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

), twice as a member of the San Diego Conquistadors and once as a member of the

. He set the ABA single-game scoring record when he erupted for 62 points against

The Floridians ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

on March 6, 1971; his record lasted almost a year until Zelmo Beaty scored 63 points against the

Pittsburgh Condors The Pittsburgh Condors were a professional basketball team in the original American Basketball Association (ABA). Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA and captured the first league title. The team pla ...

on February 21, 1972. Johnson made the playoffs in three straight years from 1973 to 1975, scoring 238 points in 15 games. His 10,538 points are 9th all time in ABA history, behind only

Louie Dampier Louis Dampier (born November 20, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), primarily playing with the Kentucky Colo ...

, Dan Issel,

Ron Boone Ronald Bruce Boone (born September 6, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player. He had a 13-year career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Boone set a record for most consecut ...

Mel Daniels Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Bas ...

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

, Freddie Lewis, Donnie Freeman, and Mack Calvin, with four of them being in the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

. Johnson finished 2nd all time in field goal attempts (10,854), 5th in field goals made (4,586), 7th in games played (647), 1st in turnover percentage (8.68%) 12th in minutes played (19,201), but also 2nd in field goals missed (6,268).

AABA

In January 1978, Johnson joined the Indiana Wizards of the All-American Basketball Alliance league. The league folded in February, less than a month after it started. In 8 games, Johnson scored 117 points for an average of 14,6 points per game.

Iceland

In 1978 Johnson joined Icelandic Division I club Ármann as player-coach. In December of that year, Johnson was assaulted in a nightclub where a glass was thrown at his face, severely injuring his right eye. He recovered enough to return to the floor before the season ended but the club was unable to achieve promotion to the

Úrvalsdeild The Besta deild karla () is a professional association football league in Iceland and the highest level of the Icelandic football league system. The competition was founded in 1912 as the Icelandic Championship. Because of the harsh winters in I ...

. After spending the next two seasons with River Plate in

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

, Johnson returned to Iceland in 1981 and joined KR as player-coach. He led the Úrvalsdeild in scoring in 1983 while finishing second in 1982. His Icelandic career came to an end in 1983 when foreign players where barred from playing in the Icelandic leagues. Johnson also coached KR's women's team for two seasons and led them to both the

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

and Icelandic Basketball Cup in 1982 and 1983.Besta körfuknattleikslið kvenna á íslandi
/ref>

References

External links

Úrvalsdeild career stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Stew 1944 births Living people ABA All-Stars American expatriate basketball people in Argentina American expatriate basketball people in Iceland American men's basketball players Ármann men's basketball players Basketball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Carolina Cougars players Houston Mavericks players KR men's basketball coaches KR men's basketball players KR women's basketball coaches Memphis Sounds players Murray State Racers men's basketball players New Jersey Americans players New York Knicks draft picks New York Nets players People from Clairton, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Condors players Pittsburgh Pipers players Power forwards San Antonio Spurs players San Diego Conquistadors expansion draft picks San Diego Conquistadors players San Diego Sails draft picks San Diego Sails players SP Federale Lugano players Úrvalsdeild karla (basketball) coaches Úrvalsdeild karla (basketball) players Úrvalsdeild kvenna (basketball) coaches