The impact of John Howard Johnson goes beyond his contributions to the Columbia men's basketball program. Of course, it cannot be understated that Johnson was the first African American to play on the varsity squad and one of the top forwards in the Eastern Intercollegiate League. But it was his work after leaving Morningside Heights that made him a true Hall of Famer outside of athletics.

Johnson finished in the top-five of league scoring in 1919-20 and 1920-21 and was one of the premier forwards of his time. Some of his best performances with Columbia included scoring points in a 28-25 victory over Dartmouth in 1920 and pouring in 11 in a 15-14 victory over CCNY in 1921.

Two years after receiving an anthropology degree from the University, Johnson became an ordained reverend and went on to become one of the most respected civil activists in Harlem.

Johnson founded St. Martin's Parish on Lenox Avenue in 1928, which was declared a New York City landmark in 1966, and built his congregation to more than 3,000 people by the late 1940's. A lifetime New Yorker, Johnson devoted his time to integration within people in his diverse community.

In 1935, he was named a member of the Emergency Relief Bureau and appointed as the NYPD's chaplain by New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia in 1939.

Johnson passed away in his Long Island home at the age of 98 in 1995.