Published: June 14, 2008 11:41 pm            

Former Jeff All-Star William S. Johnson Jr. dies at age 67

William S. Johnson, Jr, a former Indiana All-Star at Jeffersonville and the son of the legendary Red Devil coach with whom he shared his name, passed away in Louisville on Thursday. He was 67.

Johnson was born Nov. 9, 1940, and began his career at Jeff in 1955. He won a varsity letter in three different seasons and played 68 games in a Red Devil uniform, scoring 1,020 points.

He played on three Jeff teams coached by his father and then for one season under former University of Kentucky star Cliff Barker. Johnson and the Red Devils went 23-3 during the 1957-58 campaign, capturing the Jeffersonville Sectional and Regional championships before falling to Princeton in the Evansville Semistate.

That same year, Johnson was named to the 1958 Indiana All-Star team. He scored three points in the Hoosier stars’ 75-74 win over Kentucky in Indianapolis, and added nine points in the second game of the annual series. Indiana won the second game 69-58 in Louisville. He was the third Indiana All-Star elected from Jeffersonville

After his high school days came to a close, Johnson continued his basketball career at Vanderbilt University, where he earned letters during the 1961, 1962 and 1963 seasons.

The Johnson name is one of the most recognizable in Jeffersonville basketball lore. William S. Johnson, Sr. was a three-year starter for the Red Devils and he was named all-state in 1935. The elder Johnson coached at Jeff from 1950-57 and compiled a 105-63 record during his tenure. Jeff’s current basketball arena was named after him in 1979.

Funeral services for Johnson will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at Scott Funeral Home’s North Chapel at 2515 Veterans Parkway.

        

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