[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 10 (Thursday, January 17, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E62-E63]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ``JUMPIN' JOHNNY'' WILSON OF ANDERSON, 
                                INDIANA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN W. BROOKS

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 17, 2019

  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
and legacy of John Edward Wilson, an Anderson legend. ``Jumpin' 
Johnny'' Wilson was known for his exceptional drive, hard work, and 
mentorship displayed both on and off the basketball court. The people 
of Indiana's Fifth Congressional District are forever grateful for 
Wilson's revolutionary contributions to the city of Anderson, Madison 
County community, State of Indiana, and our nation.
  A life-long Hoosier, Wilson was born in 1927 and raised in Anderson, 
Indiana, where he attended Anderson High School. During high school, he 
used his athletic ability to shatter racial barriers. Wilson led the 
Anderson Indians to their third state title, scoring 30 points in the 
1946 championship game, then a state finals record. Wilson's love of 
sports extended far beyond basketball. He was an all-around athlete and 
enjoyed playing football, track, and baseball. His tremendous athletic 
ability led him to be named the state's first African-American Mr. 
Basketball and earned him the nickname Jumpin' Johnny. True to his 
moniker, Wilson won the state championship in the high jump.
  Upon graduating high school, Wilson aspired to play college 
basketball. During this time, racial integration was discouraged. Due 
to public sentiment, Wilson was not afforded the opportunity to play 
for his dream school, Indiana University. Wilson later passed up 
opportunities with other schools to play for Anderson College, which 
was integrated in all aspects of student life. As an Anderson Raven, 
Wilson earned 11 letters in four different sports, was selected three 
times in basketball as all-conference and team MVP, was a twice named 
All-American, and finished third in the nation in scoring in 1949. 
Anderson College qualified for the National Association of 
Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) small-college tournament during 
Wilson's sophomore and junior years, but the Ravens' integrated team 
was excluded. He still holds Anderson University's (AU) records for 
career scoring average (23.3), season scoring average (25.4), field 
goal attempts in a game (56), and ranks eighth on the career scoring 
list with 1,540 points. Wilson was also named All-Conference and team 
MVP in both baseball and track.
  Wilson eventually left Anderson University, attending various 
baseball tryout camps before earning a spot on the Chicago American 
Giants in the Negro Leagues in 1949. Wilson's

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baseball career lasted only one season before he switched sports, 
becoming a member of the famed Harlem Globetrotters.
  A true patriot, Wilson left the Globetrotters to serve in the United 
States Army, later returning to the team until retiring in 1954.
  After retiring from the Harlem Globetrotters, Wilson returned to 
college where he obtained a teaching degree. He accepted a coaching 
position at Indianapolis Wood High School where he was named the first 
African-American coach at an integrated school in Indiana. In his eight 
seasons as coach, Wood teams won an astounding 139 games and lost 59.
  After leaving Indianapolis, Wilson was hired as athletic director and 
later head basketball coach at Crane Community College in Chicago. The 
junior college was soon renamed in honor of civil rights figure Malcolm 
X. Wilson was head coach of Malcolm X basketball for 16 years where his 
teams won 378 games and lost 135, a .737 record. After retiring in 1989 
from Malcolm X, he returned to his hometown of Anderson, where he 
became assistant coach for Anderson University with good friend, and 
then head basketball coach and athletic director, Barrett Bates.
  Wilson was known as a great ambassador to the community as assistant 
coach at AU. Wilson was dedicated to his players' success and taught 
them the importance of working hard, often claiming there is no such 
thing as a ``free lunch.'' Encouraging players to go to class and get 
an education was instilled in his coaching philosophy. It was important 
to him that players were successful both on and off the court. Wilson 
was respected by other coaches and the people he worked with. He spent 
four seasons as an AU assistant coach and three years as a volunteer 
assistant coach at Anderson High School under Ron Hecklinski. After 
being passed over for a head coach position at Anderson High School 
more than once, Wilson become head coach for the girls' basketball 
team. In 2002, he served as an assistant coach to his son, John E. 
Wilson Jr. at Lock Haven State College in Pennsylvania.
  Wilson was recognized consistently over the years for his excellence 
in athletics. His contributions were so significant, Anderson High 
School erected a statue in his honor in 2016. He was inducted into the 
Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994, the Anderson University 
Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997, and was named Madison County's 100 
Greatest Athletes in 2012. Wilson was also honored as one of the Top 50 
Athletes of the Century in Indiana and Co-Athlete of the Century by the 
Herald Bulletin with fellow teammate and AU Hall of Famer Carl Erskine. 
He won the Humanitarian Award from Malcolm X College and the Black 
Sports Pioneer Award from Alpha Kappa Sorority. Wilson was the 
recipient of the Distinguished Service and Citizen Awards from the Boy 
Scouts of America, the Masons, Black Expo, the City of Anderson and was 
chosen as a Goodwill Ambassador by the Harlem Globetrotters. Notably, 
Wilson enjoyed meeting young men and women at the Herald Bulletin's 
Johnny Wilson Awards annual luncheon, where local multi-sport-student-
athletes were honored.
  Wilson will be forever missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and 
the entire Anderson community. On behalf of Indiana's Fifth 
Congressional District, I extend my deepest condolences to Wilson's 
son, John E. (Jackie) Wilson Jr., daughters, Sherri Wilson and Gena 
Wilson-Stockard, brother, Gene (Mae Helen) Wilson, and his many 
grandchildren, great grandchildren, extended family and friends who 
mourn his loss. The Anderson and Hoosier community will forever miss 
his positive attitude, mentorship, and unwillingness to quit.

                          ____________________