Hall of Fame
Dr. Mark Johnson Sr. ‘94 graduated from Washington & Jefferson College as the first African American Senior Class Commencement speaker.
Johnson led W&J basketball to a memorable run through the 1994 NCAA Division III Tournament in which the Presidents advanced to the Elite Eight for the only time in school history.
W&J won three Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships with Johnson as a member of the squad. He remains the 11th-leading scorer in W&J history (1,337 points). At the time of his graduation, Johnson was fifth in the record book.
During the 1994 NCAA Tournament run, the Presidents knocked off Otterbein (73-71), Kenyon (75-58) and Illinois Wesleyan (97-82) before falling to Wittenberg (91-65) in the national quarterfinals. Johnson averaged 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds, including a career-high 53 three-pointers, during that memorable season.
In 92 career games, Johnson averaged 14.5 points and 5.2 rebounds. He shot 49 percent (532-1,092) from the field and 71 percent (172-241) from the free throw line. Johnson knocked down 101 three-point shots for his career.
Following a professional basketball career in Europe and South America, Johnson was accepted as a graduate student at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J., where he earned the degrees of Master’s of Divinity and Master’s of Theology in Christian Education. While attending Princeton, Dr. Johnson was named Executive Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at the 5,000-member Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. Dr. Johnson expanded his career to the non-profit sector by accepting the position as the National Best Men Program Director for the “Best Friends Youth Foundation” in Washington, DC and spent time on Capitol Hill presenting character-based curriculum in United States School Districts.
In 2009, Dr. Johnson was elected the eighth Pastor of the Liberty Hill Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio. There he would create national partnerships with churches, businesses, organizations, and even Hollywood’s Paramount Pictures. His achievements would attract the attention of “Baseball Chapel,” an organization responsible for assigning chaplains to each Major League Baseball Team. Johnson was named Chaplain to the Cleveland Indians and served alongside his wife providing support for the organization.
While serving the Cleveland community, Johnson completed a Doctorate from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, LA. His published project, “Racial Reconciliation in the Southern Baptist Convention,” focuses on repentance, reconciliation, and restoration. Johnson’s published work also includes his contribution to a “New Orleans’ Festschrift,” which is a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar. In September of 2018, Johnson received the highest award offered at New Orleans Theological Seminary, “The Drs. Charles and Rhonda Kelley Research Fellowship,” where he is currently completing a PHD, extending his doctoral research, and serving as an adjunct faculty member in Leadership and Administration.
In August 2019, Johnson was elected Pastor of the Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans, La., and was named Chaplain in the Miami Marlins Organization. Johnson has been married to his college sweetheart, Heather Williams Johnson ’95, for 24 years and they have been blessed with four children: Mark Jr., Jonathan, Victoria and Benjamin. Mark Jr. follows in his father's footsteps as he is a current student and varsity basketball player here at Washington & Jefferson College.
