John Miner
Birthdate: May 31, 1901
Birthplace: Mt. Carmel, Illinois
High School: Columbus East HS (1921)
College: Ohio State University (1925)
Year Inducted: 2015
The player known as “Little Johnny” Miner was 5-foot-8 inches tall and weighed only 130 pounds. That didn’t stop him from becoming Ohio State University’s first All-American in 1925.
A product of Columbus East High School, Miner didn’t dazzle OSU Coach Red Trautman when he tried out for the squad in his freshman year (1922) and Trautman cut him.
John Miner had given up hope of playing for the Buckeyes, but in 1923 OSU’s new coach, Harold Olsen, saw him playing intramural basketball and asked him to join the team. Ohio State had a 4-11 record that year but things changed in 1924.
Miner became a starter and captain, leading Ohio State to a 12-5 record. Unfortunately, the Bucks lost five Western Conference games by a total of nine points.
In 1925 OSU had a 14-2 record and won its first conference title with an 11-1 mark. Miner led the league in scoring with 133 points in 12 games for an 11.09 average and became Ohio State’s first consensus All-American. John Miner died on October 24, 1981 at the age of 80.
