University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Alumnus Don Johnson Passes Away
February 07, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Former UCLA men's basketball standout Don Johnson passed away on Wednesday morning. Johnson, who was 88 years old, was an All-American at UCLA under head coach John Wooden in 1952.
Johnson was a two-year varsity letter winner for the Bruins (1950-51, 1951-52), securing consensus All-America acclaim in 1952 in addition to being honored as an all-conference player that season. He helped lead UCLA to the 1951 Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) Southern Division title and to the 1952 PCC Championship. Johnson led UCLA in rebounding both seasons (averages of 5.8 rpg in 1952 and 5.2 rpg in 1951).
Through 61 games over two seasons at UCLA, Johnson averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
A 6-foot-3 guard from El Monte, Calif., Johnson wore jersey number 73 for the Bruins. He transferred to UCLA after two years at Fullerton Junior College. He secured All-Southern California Junior College team honors in 1949-50, his sophomore year at Fullerton JC. Johnson had been a four-year varsity basketball letter winner at El Monte Union High School.
After he graduated from UCLA, Johnson went into coaching and was a longtime, successful head coach at Cypress College (Cypress, Calif.). While serving as head coach at Cypress, he led the Chargers to two state titles and seven conference crowns. He retired as the leader in all-time wins in California community college men's basketball history with a record of 588-259. For Johnson's efforts and service, Cypress dedicated its home court as "Don Johnson Court" in 2009.
Johnson was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. UCLA honored Johnson with a moment of silence prior to its home men's basketball game against Colorado on Wednesday evening.
Johnson is survived by his wife, Collette, and their three children.
