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Curley "Boo" Johnson (born February 10, 1965) is an American basketball player, best known as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, an American exhibition basketball team.
Johnson is from Peoria, Illinois, and is the son of Lorraine and Curley Johnson Sr. Johnson Sr. was the first Black player to play basketball for Bradley University, leading them to a National Invitation Tournament championship in 1957. [1]
Curley "Boo" Johnson moved to Peoria, Illinois, in 1970 at age 4. He played for Sterling Grade School, coached by Robert Snowden, which placed fourth in the city championships. Johnson also played tailback in football for the Sterling Lions JFL when the team won an undefeated city championship. [1]
He played football, basketball, and baseball at Richwoods High School for two years and then transferred to Peoria High School. While he was a member, the latter's basketball team held a 38–18 record and received regional and sectional titles, and consecutive fourth-place finishes in the 1980 & 1981 Illinois State Classic Holiday Tournaments (now named the State Farm Holiday Classic). [1]
When playing for Spoon River College, Johnson scored 19 points in his first game against Richland College and led the state of Illinois and tied for seventh in the country for field goal percentage, shooting a 65.7% record that still stands. SRC won the sectional title and set a school record for wins (26), with a 4th-place finish in the state. Johnson went 3 consecutive games without missing a field goal. He was named McDonald's Cage Classic all-tournament, all-section, all-region, and 4th team Sporting News NJCAA All-American. [1]
Johnson played one season for the Muscatine Community College Indians.
When Johnson played at Loras College, coach Mike Jaskulski was quoted as saying that Johnson was the finest ball handler and dribbler he ever coached or saw play at Loras. Johnson earned a degree in marketing. Loras retired Johnson's #14 jersey on December 10, 1999. [1]
Johnson was discovered by Globetrotters' general manager, Joe Anzivino, and invited to training camp in Los Angeles in fall 1988. He became the marquee dribbler and held that position for 18 consecutive seasons, from 1988 to 2007, playing 4210 games. He toured 81 countries on all seven continents. Johnson was part of the group that visited Pope John Paul II on November 29, 2000, in Rome. As a Globetrotter, he met Mother Teresa and President of South Africa Nelson Mandela. Johnson was a member of the team that participated in the enshrinement ceremony when the Globetrotters were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. [1]
Johnson lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife, Michelle, and stepson, Troy. [5]
Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn was an American sportscaster who was the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association for 41 years, as well as the team's assistant general manager for seven years beginning in 1972. Hearn is remembered for his rapid fire, staccato broadcasting style, associated with colorful phrases such as slam dunk, air ball, and no harm, no foul that have become common basketball vernacular. Hearn broadcast 3,338 consecutive Lakers games starting on November 21, 1965. Most of Hearn's games in the television era were simulcast on both radio and television, even after most teams chose to use different announcers for the different media.
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 countries and territories, mostly against deliberately ineffective opponents, such as the Washington Generals and the New York Nationals (1995–2015). The team's signature song is Brother Bones' whistled version of "Sweet Georgia Brown", and their mascot is an anthropomorphized globe named "Globie". The team is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment.
Abraham Michael Saperstein was the founder, owner and earliest coach of the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein was a leading figure in black basketball and baseball from the 1920s through the 1950s, primarily before those sports were racially integrated.
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Hubert Eugene "Geese" Ausbie is a retired professional basketball player.
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The State Farm Holiday Classic, named after the title sponsor State Farm Insurance, is one of the largest co-ed, high school holiday basketball tournaments in the United States, with 64 teams. Held annually for four days following Christmas and dubbed "The Best Basketball This Side of March", the Classic is held at numerous college and high-school venues throughout Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. In 2017 the tournament will be played December 27–30.
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Ronald Yngve Bontemps was an American basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was born in Taylorville, Illinois, and attended Beloit College. He was a captain of the United States men's basketball team, which won the gold medal in the 1952 Olympic Games. He played in all eight games. Bontemps died on May 13, 2017, in Peoria, Illinois, aged 90.
Mannie Jackson is the chairman and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, for whom he played from 1962 to 1964. He was the first African American with controlling ownership in an entertainment organization and international sports team. Jackson has been heavily recognized throughout his career including an acknowledgment as one of the nation's 30 most powerful and influential black corporate executives, one of the nation's top 50 corporate strategists, and one of the 20 African-American high-net-worth entrepreneurs.
The Bradley Braves men's basketball team represents Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They compete as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Braves are currently coached by Brian Wardle and play their home games at Carver Arena.
Bertil William Erickson was an NCAA All-American basketball player at the University of Illinois during a career that spanned from 1947 to 1950, and then a player in the National Professional Basketball League for the Saint Paul Lights.
Carl Edwin McNulty was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers, and later played for the Milwaukee Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Blaine Denning Sr. was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Lawrence Technological University and was inducted into their athletic hall of fame. He played professionally for the Harlem Globetrotters, Elmira Colonels of the American Basketball League, and Baltimore Bullets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Govoner Vaughn was a former high school, college and professional basketball player during the 1950s & 60s. Vaughn led Edwardsville High School to a fourth-place finish in the I.H.S.A. 1954 high school playoffs, as well as a second-place finish in 1956 to defending champion, Rockford West. Vaughn played in eight career state playoff games over two seasons, and his 92 points were all scored during the 1956 tournament. He, along with his teammate, Mannie Jackson, were named first-team all-tournament.
Bobby Joe Mason was an American basketball player. He was an All-American college player at Bradley University and gained worldwide fame as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
John M. Wessels was an American college basketball standout for Illinois in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A center, Wessels averaged 13.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in his three years of varsity basketball for the Fighting Illini, earning a varsity letter each year. Graduating from Rockford West High School, Wessels led the Warriors to the IHSA state championship during consecutive seasons in 1955 and 1956.
Nolden Gentry was an American college basketball standout for Iowa in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A forward, Gentry averaged 10.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in his three years of varsity basketball for the Hawkeyes, earning a varsity letter each year. Graduating from Rockford West High School, Gentry led the Warriors to the IHSA state championship during consecutive seasons in 1955 and 1956.
Larry Darnell Rivers, also known as Gator Rivers, was an American basketball player, coach, business owner, and civil servant. He performed as a dribbler for the Harlem Globetrotters, and served as a coach from 1973 to 1986. In 2020, he was elected to the Chatham County Commission in Chatham County, Georgia and served in the District 2 seat from 2021.
