Chadron State College Athletics

Big Joe, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound center, made an immediate impact on the Chadron State College basketball program after graduating from Bridgeport High School. He was a four-year starter, scoring 1,277 points and grabbing 920 rebounds for the Eagles.
He averaged between 16.5 and 16.8 points each of his final three seasons, when the Eagles were 59 -16. He led the team in rebounding all four years, averaging 9.5 per game during his career. His 14.2 rebounding average his sophomore year is the second highest in school history.  He had more help around the glass the next two years, but still averaged at least eight a game.
Sadly, Johnson died in 1988 at age 42 after falling from a house he was painting in North Platte.
He was a brakeman for the Union Pacific Railroad at the time of his death.