Wallace A. Johansen (August 26, 1917 – September 8, 1971) was a college basketball

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

who played for the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

when it won the inaugural NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament championship in 1938–39.

Early life

Born in

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a Port, port city in and the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the ...

, Johansen played basketball at Astoria High School, graduating in 1935 and helping the Fishermen win two consecutive state championships. That same year, his high school coach, John Warren, was hired as the freshman basketball coach at the

, and he recruited Johansen and teammate Bobby Anet to enroll at Oregon.

College

At Oregon, Johansen played three seasons for the

Ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

varsity, forming a reliable backcourt with Anet, his teammate since junior high school. In his senior season of 1939, the Ducks won the Northern Division of the

Pacific Coast Conference The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a collegiate athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pac-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, with eight of the ten PCC members (includin ...

, and then defeated Southern Division champion

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to win the conference championship and advance to the inaugural 1939 NCAA basketball championship, where they faced

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

in the final game. As Ohio State focused on stopping Oregon's

frontcourt Basketball is a sport with five players on the court for each team at a time. Each player is assigned to different positions defined by the strategic role they play. Guard, forward and center are the three main position categories. The standard ...

players, known as the "Tall Firs," Johansen and Anet ran the

fast break Fast break is an offensive strategy in basketball and handball. In a fast break, a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible, so that the defense is outnumbered and does not have time to set up. The ...

and took control of the game. Johansen scored 9 points to help lead Oregon to a convincing 46–33 victory. Johansen had his jersey (#32) retired, and was later inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

as well as the University of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

After basketball

After he graduated from Oregon, Johansen enrolled at the University of Oregon School of Law. His law school studies were interrupted by his service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but following the war, he earned his law degree from Oregon in 1948. He became an associate in the

Coos Bay, Oregon Coos Bay () is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. It shares Coos Bay with the adjacent city of North Bend, Oregon, North Bend. Together, they are often referred to as ...

law firm McKeown & Newhouse, eventually becoming a partner in the firm. From 1967 to 1968, Johansen served as President of the

Oregon State Bar The Oregon State Bar (OSB) is a public corporation and instrumentality of the Oregon Judicial Department in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the lega ...

. He died of a heart attack in 1971.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johansen, Wally 1917 births 1971 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Oregon Guards (basketball) Oregon Ducks men's basketball players Oregon lawyers People from Astoria, Oregon Sportspeople from Coos Bay, Oregon University of Oregon School of Law alumni 20th-century American sportsmen

Early life

College

After basketball

See also

References