Photo by: Jesse Ordunez
Stewart Johnson’s Career Celebrated - Jersey No. 40 Retired
12/1/2023 7:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Hall of Fame
A Murray State legend, Johnson played for men’s basketball from 1963-66
One of legends of Murray State men's basketball, Stewart Johnson, was back on campus (Nov. 29) for an amazing trip down memory 
lane.
Nearly 58 years since he played his final game with the Racers, Stewart was honored by a grateful Racer Nation, far more than the 5,211 that watched the current MSU team defeat the Bradley Braves in their Missouri Valley Conference opener at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
The halftime ceremony highlighted Johnson's career that started in 1963 as the first African American student-athlete to play men's basketball at Murray State University.
"I was 18 years old and had no idea what I was getting into," said Stewart, who was recruited to Murray State by Coach Cal Luther out of Clairton, Pa. "I had always been up north playing on integrated teams and schools. I came down here and the first experience was rather intimidating. No black people in the entire building, just me. But Cal kept everything cool. Maybe he knew he had to do it, but maybe he didn't know what he was going to have to go through in making that decision. He and his family also had negative reaction to bringing in a black player (at that time)."
Johnson said his parents had mixed feelings about it, but in the end, Johnson came to Murray State in the fall of 1963.
"Actually, my father didn't want me to go down south, but my mother prevailed and wanted me to take my journey," Johnson said. "If it was easy, anybody could've done it. It was a mindset, I knew what I could do physically. Through her prayers it worked
out. It was like I had to win them over. I used it as motivation to prove them wrong. Today, there is a big change in attitudes. There's a chance for us after all."
Johnson was the right man at the right time and Coach Luther, who passed away in May 2021, was the right coach.
"Stewart was a good student and he worked at his class work and basketball very hard and I'd say that he, Jimmy Young and Claude Virden, were probably the best natural shooters that I ever had," Luther stated.
Johnson was a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection and left MSU ninth on the Racers' all-time scoring list with 1,257 points over three seasons for a career 16.5 point per game average. He grabbed 981 career rebounds to rank second all-time when he finished at MSU and he still ranks fourth today, behind only Popeye Jones (1988-92), Dick Cunningham (1965-68) and Jim Jennings (1961-64), Johnson's teammate for one season in 1963-64.
The Racers' team captain in the 1965-66 season when he was a senior, Johnson also helped MSU win the OVC regular season championship with an 11-3 record in the 1963-64 season. During this season, he had a 34-point game against Arizona State and had 24 rebounds in a game against Austin Peay. Johnson scored 18 points when the Racers made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1964, meeting Loyola in the first round at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena in Chicago. The Racers led by as many as 20 points in the first half before dropping a 101-91 game.
When Johnson was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in 1979, his professional career was thriving in the ABA.
He played for nine American Basketball Association franchises from 1967-76, including the Kentucky Colonels (1967), New Jersey Americans/New York Nets (1967–69), Houston Mavericks (1968–69), Pittsburgh Pipers/Pittsburgh Condors (1969–1971), Carolina Cougars (1971–72), San Diego Conquistadors (1972–1974), Memphis Sounds (1974–75), San Diego Sails (1975) and San Antonio Spurs (1975–76).
Johnson scored more than 10,000 points, went to the ABA All-Star game three times in 1973, 1974 and 1975, and on March 6, 1971, set the ABA single-game scoring record with 62 points in a single game.
Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics) and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersHoops).
lane.Nearly 58 years since he played his final game with the Racers, Stewart was honored by a grateful Racer Nation, far more than the 5,211 that watched the current MSU team defeat the Bradley Braves in their Missouri Valley Conference opener at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
The halftime ceremony highlighted Johnson's career that started in 1963 as the first African American student-athlete to play men's basketball at Murray State University.
"I was 18 years old and had no idea what I was getting into," said Stewart, who was recruited to Murray State by Coach Cal Luther out of Clairton, Pa. "I had always been up north playing on integrated teams and schools. I came down here and the first experience was rather intimidating. No black people in the entire building, just me. But Cal kept everything cool. Maybe he knew he had to do it, but maybe he didn't know what he was going to have to go through in making that decision. He and his family also had negative reaction to bringing in a black player (at that time)."
Johnson said his parents had mixed feelings about it, but in the end, Johnson came to Murray State in the fall of 1963.
"Actually, my father didn't want me to go down south, but my mother prevailed and wanted me to take my journey," Johnson said. "If it was easy, anybody could've done it. It was a mindset, I knew what I could do physically. Through her prayers it worked
out. It was like I had to win them over. I used it as motivation to prove them wrong. Today, there is a big change in attitudes. There's a chance for us after all."Johnson was the right man at the right time and Coach Luther, who passed away in May 2021, was the right coach.
"Stewart was a good student and he worked at his class work and basketball very hard and I'd say that he, Jimmy Young and Claude Virden, were probably the best natural shooters that I ever had," Luther stated.
Johnson was a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection and left MSU ninth on the Racers' all-time scoring list with 1,257 points over three seasons for a career 16.5 point per game average. He grabbed 981 career rebounds to rank second all-time when he finished at MSU and he still ranks fourth today, behind only Popeye Jones (1988-92), Dick Cunningham (1965-68) and Jim Jennings (1961-64), Johnson's teammate for one season in 1963-64.
The Racers' team captain in the 1965-66 season when he was a senior, Johnson also helped MSU win the OVC regular season championship with an 11-3 record in the 1963-64 season. During this season, he had a 34-point game against Arizona State and had 24 rebounds in a game against Austin Peay. Johnson scored 18 points when the Racers made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1964, meeting Loyola in the first round at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena in Chicago. The Racers led by as many as 20 points in the first half before dropping a 101-91 game.
When Johnson was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in 1979, his professional career was thriving in the ABA.
He played for nine American Basketball Association franchises from 1967-76, including the Kentucky Colonels (1967), New Jersey Americans/New York Nets (1967–69), Houston Mavericks (1968–69), Pittsburgh Pipers/Pittsburgh Condors (1969–1971), Carolina Cougars (1971–72), San Diego Conquistadors (1972–1974), Memphis Sounds (1974–75), San Diego Sails (1975) and San Antonio Spurs (1975–76).
Johnson scored more than 10,000 points, went to the ABA All-Star game three times in 1973, 1974 and 1975, and on March 6, 1971, set the ABA single-game scoring record with 62 points in a single game.
Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics) and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersHoops).
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