Kansas Basketball to Honor Bill ‘Skinny’ Johnson at Halftime vs. Cincinnati
The Kansas Jayhawks are adding a new jersey to the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday with legendary center Bill “Skinny” Johnson getting his jersey retired during halftime of the Jayhawks’ matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats
Kansas’ social media team made the announcement to lift Johnson’s #33 jersey into the rafters, adding Johnson to the long list of Jayhawk legends etched in the history of Allen Fieldhouse.
Johnson spent three seasons as the Jayhawks’ starting center from 1930-1933 and was one of the historically great Jayhawks in the program’s esteemed history. Johnson won three Big Six Championships and was labeled an All-American in 1933. Johnson took the court under legendary head coach Phog Allen, who made mass amounts of Kansas basketball history in his own right.
Johnson was inducted as a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and earned some incredible praise in his bio.
Johnson’s bio on the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame website reads, “William “Skinny” Johnson’s amazing jumping ability and all-around basketball skills made him a scholastic and amateur star. First noticed at Central High School in Oklahoma City, the rail-thin, 6-foot-4-inch Johnson was celebrated for his ability to gain control of the jump ball after every basket, a rule that was later eliminated in 1937. Chosen a scholastic All-America at the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament held in Chicago in 1929, Johnson was a three-year starter at the University of Kansas under Hall of Fame coach Phog Allen. The athletically gifted player led the Jayhawks to a 41-12 record and three Big Six Conference titles. After college, Johnson starred in the Amateur Athletic Union and was a Second Team AAU All-America selection in 1934. As leading scorer of Southern Kansas State Line, he led his team to the Missouri Valley AAU Conference title and third place in the National AAU Tournament in 1934.”
William “Skinny” Johnson will go down in history as one of the greatest Jayhawks ever to wear the Crimson and Blue, and following the first half of action against Cincinnati, Johnson’s legacy and jersey will be forever etched in the legendary history of Allen Fieldhouse, named after his head coach.
