Michigan State Basketball Mourns Passing of Johnny Green

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball program mourns the passing of Jumpin' Johnny Green, who passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 89.

Green, who was born in Dayton, Ohio, came to Michigan State in 1955 after serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. He played three years with the Spartans, helped lead the team to the 1957 Final Four and was one of four players in program history to finish his career with at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

"I'm saddened to hear of the passing of Jumpin' Johnny Green," Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo said. "Johnny was one of the greatest players to ever wear the Michigan State uniform and his legacy will never be forgotten. He was one of our first All-Americans, one of the great rebounders in program history and was a leader on some of the great teams at Michigan State in the late 1950s, including our 1957 Final Four Team. Johnny carried that success to the NBA as a first-round pick of the New York Knicks, where he still today stands as one of the best rebounders in the history of their team, and was a four-time NBA All-Star.

"Taking away all that he did on the basketball court, Johnny was an all-time great person. He was just one of the nicest and kindest gentlemen you could ever meet and it meant a lot that he came back to visit during our reunions each year. I've been fortunate that during my career at Michigan State I was able to spend time with him and that our young players were able to meet one of the guys who built this program. Our players are better for it and I know that I am too."

As a sophomore, Green earned a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament Team as MSU advanced to the 1957 Final Four.

That performance led to two of the strongest seasons in Spartan history. In 1958, he averaged an MSU single-season record 17.8 rebounds to go along with 18.0 points. He was a Second Team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the International News Service, the Converse Yearbook and The Sporting News and earned third team honors from the Associated Press, UPI and the Helms Foundation.

One year later, as senior in 1959, he averaged 18.5 points and 16.6 rebounds and was a Consensus Second Team All-American.

Green, who had his number retired at Michigan State and was inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992, finished his career with 1,062 points and 1,036 rebounds. He still ranks 47th all-time in scoring at MSU and is third all-time in rebounding. Such a prolific rebounder during his career at Michigan State, the Jumpin' Johnny Green Chairman of the Boards award was presented to the team's top rebounder for a number of years.

Green is one of just three players in program history with at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, joined by Greg Kelser and Draymond Green.

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