Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) has chosen Ernie Johnson Jr., one of sports’ most respected and loved personalities, as the 2019 inductee into the Society of World Changers. Johnson will be formally inducted into the IWU Society of World Changers during a special convocation on Feb. 27, 2019.
Johnson is a veteran sportscaster for Turner Sports. He is the host of Turner Sports NBA coverage and TNT’s Sports Emmy® Award-winning “Inside the NBA” studio show with analysts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. He is also studio host for Turner and CBS’ NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship coverage as well as play-by-play announcer for TBS’ exclusive coverage of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the PGA Championship.
Previously, Johnson has covered the National Football League, the British Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics. He also called the Atlanta Braves games on SportSouth from 1993-1996 with his dad, Ernie Johnson Sr., a former MLB pitcher and Braves play-by-play announcer.
Johnson has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the following:
- Bill Hartman Award as well as the Musial Award, presented in honor of Stan Musial’s legacy by celebrating iconic “good sports” and the year’s greatest moments in sportsmanship (2015)
- Athletes in Action’s honorary John Wooden Keys to Life Award reserved for individuals who exemplify Wooden’s “Seven Keys to Life” including character, integrity and faith (2007)
- Sports Emmy® for Best Studio Host/Personality (2015, 2006 and 2001)
Additionally, TNT’s Inside the NBA has won four Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Studio Show – Daily.
Already a successful sportscaster for Turner Sports, Johnson became a Christian in 1997 through the ministry of 12Stone Church, a Wesleyan church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Since that time, Johnson has been and continues to be outspoken about his faith in both his personal life, as well as his very public and successful professional life.
Johnson is a graduate of Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. He was named Outstanding Young Alumnus in 1986. He and his wife Cheryl have six children, four of whom are adopted.
“Ernie Johnson entertains millions of Americans through his award-winning broadcasts,” said Dr. David Wright, president of IWU. “More importantly, he inspires all who know him through his character, his faith and his deep commitment to serving others. Ernie’s genuine, disarming character allows him to share his faith in Christ with a world that sees all too few such examples. IWU is delighted to honor Ernie Johnson as an inductee to the IWU Society of World Changers.”
