Neil Johnston
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Donald Neil Johnston (b. February 4, 1929, Chillicothe, Ohio – d. September 28, 1978, Chillicothe, Ohio) was an American Hall of Fame basketball player at the center position who played 8 years in the NBA from 1951 to 1959.
He 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. Johnston played his entire career with the Philadelphia Warriors, playing on their championship team in 1956. He 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.
After his playing career, he coached the Warriors for the first two seasons of Wilt Chamberlain's NBA career.
He attended Ohio State University, where he starred in baseball and basketball. Johnston signed a professional baseball contract with the Philadelphia Phillies out of college and pitched two years for the Terre Haute Phillies of the Three-I League.
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Preceded by Al Cervi |
Philadelphia Warriors Head Coach 1959–1961 |
Succeeded by Frank McGuire |
Categories: Basketball centers | 1929 births | 1978 deaths | American basketball coaches | American basketball players | Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players | People from Chillicothe, Ohio | Philadelphia Warriors players | Philadelphia Warriors coaches | United States basketball biography, pre-1940 birth stubs