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14 Phil Johnson

Name
Phil Johnson
Position
Forward-Center
Class
SR
Hometown (Last School)
Lexington, KY (University High)
Ht
6'5"
Wt
190
Seasons
1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59
Birthday
October 28, 2020

Phil Johnson was a three-year letterman in basketball for the University of Kentucky from 1955-59. He helped Adolph Rupp’s program win the 1958 NCAA championship as a member of the “Fiddlin’ Five.”

Johnson was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1936. He attended University High School, where he was a two-time All-State selection. He was also a member of the University of Kentucky’s baseball team.

As a freshman at Kentucky, Johnson played in 17 games, averaging 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He saw his playing time increase as a sophomore, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

In 1957-58, Johnson’s junior season, he was a key member of the “Fiddlin’ Five” that won the NCAA championship. He averaged 6.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game that season.

As a senior, Johnson averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He was also named to the All-SEC Tournament team.

After graduating from Kentucky, Johnson played professional basketball for two seasons in the Eastern Professional Basketball League. He then went on to work in the insurance business.

Johnson died July 23, 2023, at the age of 87. He was a member of the Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame and the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.

Here are some of Johnson’s career highlights:

  • NCAA champion in 1958
  • All-SEC Tournament team in 1959
  • Member of the Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame
  • Member of the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame

 

Related Topics

Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.

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On This Day in UK Basketball History

On March 27, 1951, UK wins its third NCAA title, defeating Kansas State, 68-58, in the finals in Minneapolis.

 

On March 27, 1978, Jack “Goose” Givens scores 41 points as UK wins its fifth NCAA Championship, 94-88, over Duke in St. Louis.  Givens scored the last 16 points of the first half for Kentucky, bringing his first-half total up to 23 points. Givens poured in another 18 points in the second half.  Givens' helped lead the Wildcats to their first title in over 20 years.  More than 10,000 fans greet the team at Blue Grass Airport and 15,000 more celebrate at Memorial Coliseum

 

On March 27, 1993, Kentucky beat Florida State to advance to the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. The victory completed a string of four games in which the Wildcats blitzed their Southeast Region opponents by an average of 31.0 points - the largest margin of victory by a team through four games en route to the Final Four.

 

On March 27, 2009, Billy Gillispie is fired as the Kentucky head basketball coach.

 

On March 27, 2011, freshman Brandon Knight scored 22 points and fourth-seeded Kentucky advanced to the Final Four for the first time since the 1998 title with a 76-69 win over second-seeded North Carolina in the East Regional final of the NCAA Tournament.  The last minute of the game became the DeAndre Liggins show, as he blocked a shot on defense, hit a game-winning three-pointer on offense, then blocked another shot on defense to seal the victory. He finished with 12 points..

 

Wildcats Born on This Date

March 27, 1885

Arthur Donan

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