South Kingstown, Providence College basketball star Ray Johnson dies at 76

Ray Johnson, the basketball star who helped lead a dynasty at South Kingstown High in the 1960s and went on to the state's biggest stage at Providence College in the 1970s, has died. He was 76.

The Friars paid tribute to Johnson via social media Wednesday. An obituary posted online by the Avery-Storti Funeral Home said Johnson passed away last Thursday.

Johnson was born in Narragansett and lived there for most of his life. His surviving family members include brother Charles Johnson and his wife Mary Ann, sister Sandra Johnson, daughter Raye Anne Johnson-Seiger and her husband, Gary, niece Kasey and nephew Max, and his former wife, Jacqueline Smith.

“I used to see him at the beach all the time,” South Kingstown athletic director Terry Lynch said late Wednesday. “We would talk. Just a nice, nice man — kind of unassuming for what he had done.”

The Rebels played in Class C six decades ago, a place reserved for the state’s smaller schools. They rose above their size thanks to a core that included the 6-foot-7-inch Johnson and fellow All-State selections Bill Hazard, George Peckham and Bradley Webster. The program finished unbeaten in 1964-65 and 1965-66, starting a run of three consecutive Interscholastic League championships.

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“He had a legacy,” future Providence teammate Ernie DiGregorio said early Thursday. “A lot of people knew him, I believe, more as a high school player than as a college player.”

The first title drive was tough sledding. South Kingstown slipped past two other perfect teams in the semifinals and finals, outlasting Rogers and Sacred Heart. The championship matchup went five overtimes, with Johnson collecting 28 points and 23 rebounds in a 65-61 victory.

The Rebels found it easier going while attempting to repeat. They crushed four state tournament opponents by a combined 132 points, including a 69-46 cruise past Sacred Heart in a rematch. Johnson went on to prep at Tabor Academy and North Yarmouth Academy before enrolling with the Friars.

Johnson’s college career coincided with Dave Gavitt taking over for Joe Mullaney on the Providence bench. The Friars were on the verge of making waves nationally by the time Johnson graduated in 1970-71. They defeated Louisville and lost to North Carolina in a pair of NIT games that March at Madison Square Garden, part of a 20-8 finish.

“I think he’s one of those guys who was underappreciated in the state,” Lynch said. “I always knew who he was because my dad [Richard] always talked about him.”

Johnson averaged 9.9 points and 10.4 rebounds as a sophomore. He raised that to a double-double as a junior, totaling 11.6 points and 10.4 boards. Johnson’s teammates during his time with the Friars included some of their most noteworthy players of that era — DiGregorio, Jim Larrañaga and Nehru King were among the headliners.

“People who played with him really appreciated his overall sacrifice and dedication to winning,” DiGregorio said. “You couldn’t meet a better person in your life. The guy was top-notch.”

Johnson played in 77 games at Providence, and his rebounding average of 8.6 per game still ranks 13th all-time. He led the Friars on the boards in his first two years, topped them in field goal percentage in 1968-69 and compiled eight double-doubles. Johnson recorded the 13th 20-20 game in program history, closing with 24 points and 20 rebounds in a March 1969 meeting with Seton Hall.

One of Johnson’s first games with Providence was played against perennial power UCLA at Madison Square Garden. It was a homecoming for New York native Lew Alcindor, who later became one of the sport’s all-time professional greats as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Bruins took care of the Friars and went on to win the national championship, but Johnson drew immediate praise for the way he battled Alcindor in the paint.

“He played at the highest level and against the greatest players,” DiGregorio said. “He definitely held his own and proved himself as a force.”

Johnson’s 663 career rebounds at Providence place him ahead of fellow alums such as Marques Bragg, Rodney Bullock, Austin Croshere, Marty Conlon and Marcus Douthit. He was one of several in-state recruits in his era to help Providence establish itself as a regional factor. The next wave included future program legends like DiGregorio, Marvin Barnes and Joe Hassett.

“We had that little chip on our shoulders,” DiGregorio said. “We knew we had to prove our worth and that we were good enough to play at that level. He definitely did it.

“I had a lot of teammates in my life, but you wouldn’t see anyone who sacrificed more and someone who was more unselfish.”

Johnson spent nearly three decades as an officer with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections and later worked as a youth mentor at Ocean Tides. He was inducted into athletic Halls of Fame by both North Yarmouth Academy, where he also played football and lacrosse, and the Interscholastic League. His natural sporting differences with Lynch, a former football player at the University of Rhode Island, were good-naturedly put aside in Johnson’s later years.

“I think one of the first times I went up to him, I said, ‘I’m a URI guy — I can’t really like PC,’ ” Lynch said. “He just laughed.”

Calling hours will be held from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at 88 Columbia St. in Wakefield. In lieu of flowers, Johnson’s family has asked for donations to be made in his name to the Providence College Friars Basketball Fund.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: South Kingstown, Providence basketball star Ray Johnson dies at 76