Former Talladega College President Joseph B. Johnson is one of 15 people being inducted into the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame.

Johnson, a graduate of Grambling State University, played basketball at the school and later served as president of the university from 1978 until 1991. He was president of Talladega College from 1991 until 1998.

While in Talladega, Johnson was on the Talladega Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the advisory board of the Federal Correctional Institute in Talladega and the Industrial Development Board of Talladega County.

Johnson is already a member of the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame and Grambling State University’s Gallery of Distinction.

Before serving as president of the universities, Johnson coached basketball at Carver High School in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. He then coached at B.T.W. in Shreveport, La. and Greenville Park in Hammond, La. He led Greenville Park to a state championship in 1968 with a 33-2 record.

Others being inducted into the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame include Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, Jerry Barr, Garland Boyette, Patricia Bibbs, Adolph Byrd, Mary Currie, Mackie Freeze, Eugene “Doc” Harvey, James Hooper, Melvin Lee, Jerry Robinson, Roosevelt Taylor, Sammy White and Robert Williams.

The induction ceremony will be held July 17 at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, La. at 6 p.m. according to a press release from the hall of fame.

“There is such a legacy at Grambling,” said Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Brown, part of last year’s inaugural Grambling Legends Hall of Fame class.

“We have so many great athletes to come out of Grambling, and this is a way for those athletes to be recognized because of the things they have done.”

James “Shack” Harris, a former NFL Pro Bowl MVP and championship-winning quarterback at Grambling, along with many other Grambling alumni who want the school’s athletic accomplishments remembered founded the hall of fame according to the press release.

“The Legends Hall of Fame provides the recognition and notoriety that should have come to those individuals who made great contributions to the university a long time ago,” former inductee Willie Davis said.

“There’s nothing in life more gratifying than being recognized and honored for those things they did on the field.”

Contact Heather Baggett at hbaggett@dailyhome.com