(born November 3, 1957) He was the center of attention on Ralph Miller’s best teams at Oregon State. Six-foot, ten-inch Steve Johnson dominated the middle for the Beavers from 1977-1981.
1st Team Consensus All-America and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1981, Steve was also a three-time selection as All Pac-10.
As a senior, he led the Pac-10 in scoring averaging 21.0 points per game. His 1981 .746 field goal percentage set an NCAA single-season record and Johnson’s .678 career field goal percentage was a Pac-10 record. The 1980-81 Beavers won their first 26 games and were ranked #1 in the country before suffering the shocking loss to Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the final college game for Johnson. Steve scored 2,035 points and made 828 field goals in his OSU career.
Speaking of Kansas, Steve Johnson was the 1st round draft pick of the Kansas City Kings in 1981 with the 7th overall selection. After three seasons he joined the Chicago Bulls, where he played with a rookie named Michael Jordan Johnson was not afraid of physicality in the Association. He led the NBA twice in two seasons and in disqualifications three times.
His playing career brought him to the Portland Trail Blazers (1986-1989) where he was originally slated to pair with Sam Bowie on a powerful front line. Bowie’s infamous injuries made Johnson a solo act at center and he responded big time. The 1986-87 season began with a 40-point 10 rebound game against the Cavs. Steve averaged 17 points per game and shot 55%. He was named team MVP and he was named Blazer MVP in 1987.
After an unsuccessful “Twin Towers” experiment with a young Kevin Duckworth, Steve was left unprotected in the expansion draft. His Blazer career ended with 2,713 points and 1,166 rebounds.
Life with the expansion Timberwolves was not fun. Johnson was traded to the SuperSonics and then finished his career with a single season at Golden State.
Steve finished his NBA career with 2,841 field goals (.572), 3,450 rebounds and 7,345 points. He returned to Oregon, involved himself in multiple business ventures and supported Oregon State athletics. Johnson was inducted into the Oregon State University Hall of Fame in 1993
