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At Regency Retirement Village in Morristown, he is known as “Johnny Mac.”

Few people know the true story of Johnny Macknowski (also known as Macklin). He was a pro basketball player, soldier and teacher during his heyday.

Friday, many of the residents and friends of Johnny’s gathered for a 100th birthday celebration. Johnny is one of only two World War II solders living at Regency.

Johnny served in the U.S. Navy for four years in Okinawa, Japan, Guam and Hawaii.

“They were going to put me on another ship,” Johnny said. “That was the finest service I had in my life.”

During his time in the military, Johnny trained civilians for the Marines or Navy. After his naval service was finished, he came back to Seton Hall to play his remainder of his college career. In two years for the Pirates, Johnny averaged 8.3 points per game as a junior and 11.5 points per game as a senior, scoring a total of 465 points.

Johnny was presented a framed American flag by Darryl Brady, of Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger’s office. Rolling Thunder also presented Johnny with a birthday card, balloons and a present. The American Legion Post came in support with a birthday card.

Dave Rutherford, second vice commander for American Legion Post 52 and on the board of directors of Vietnam Veterans Post 1073 of Morristown, spearheaded the party.

“I started making phone calls,” said Rutherford, who is also national vice president of the Sons of the Revolution General Society. “I’ve organized a number of parties. We had a convention in Franklin, Tennessee a couple of years ago. I know how to do a party.”

In statistics obtained from Pro Basketball Encyclopedia, Johnny was a freshman basketball player at Seton Hall for the 1941-42 season. He went into military action in the U.S. Navy from 1942-45. He returned to Seton Hall to complete his college career from 1945-48. Johnny was drafted by the Rochester Royals. He played four games for the Scranton Miners of the American Basketball League before joining the Syracuse Nationals in the National Basketball League in 1948-49. The following year, the National Basketball League merged with the Basketball Association of America to form what is known as the modern National Basketball Association.

“Dunking was not allowed in those days,” Johnny said. “There were 10 minute quarters. In order to dunk the ball today, the big guys have to walk three steps. Some of the college kids played under assumed names (to get paid) because we weren’t supposed to play professional basketball.”

Johnny still wears his ring that he received for getting to the playoffs.

“Our owner Danny Biasone was a butcher and restauranteur,” Johnny said. “He said if you guys make the playoffs against the Minneapolis Lakers, each of you guys will get $1,000. We made the playoffs and when we had the meeting afterwards, instead of the $1,000, he gave us these rings. About four or five of the guys threw the rings back at the table. I kept mine and four other players kept theirs.”

Biasone came up with the 24-second shot clock for the NBA during the 1954-55 season. Biasone calculated that a 24-second shot clock would allow at least 30 shots per quarter and assist in increasing scoring, in essence speeding up the game.

After his basketball career, Johnny began his teaching career in English, history and philosophy.

“When I was teaching school, I told the children that I knew Chuck Connors, star of ‘The Rifleman,’ (TV show)” Johnny said. “They laughed at me, and when I was in the chow line, they yelled, ‘Hey, Rifleman!’ I never looked at them but I waved.”

Johnny said that Connors wrote a letter saying that he was a great friend of his. Connors was a junior at Seton Hall while Johnny was a freshman.

Rutherford said that Connors didn’t spend much time with Johnny because he was “always out on dates.”

“He is our star here,” Cissy Meek of Regency Retirement Village said. “They say he was as good a teacher as he was on the basketball court. He has touched a lot of lives.”

“What an honor you guys gave me,” Johnny said. “I’d never had this much acclaim. I’ve never had so much glory.”

Johnny will get to celebrate his 100th birthday this weekend with his three daughters.