We continue our Fox 40 Top 40 Most Impactful Local Sports Figures.

We pick up at number 14 where we honor Union-Endicott's very own--Jim Johnson.

The long-time Major League Baseball closer got his start in Endicott where he was a star for southern tier legend, Ed Folli.

Johnson's six-foot-five stature as a high school student garnered attention quickly. By his senior year of high school, Jim was pitching in front of 30 major league scouts at Pete Sylvester Field. Despite the pressure, Johnson fired a no-hitter against Binghamton, almost certainly bolstering his stock ahead of the 2001 draft.

But before he worried about playing in the minor leagues, Johnson was worried about the state tournament when Coach Fols and the Tigers marched through Section IV and then the rest of the state's Class A competition.

The Union-Endicott Tigers won the 2001 State Championship over McQuaid Jesuit led by Johnson's 8-1 record and 2.02 ERA, Johnson came out of the bullpen for the late-inning save, a foreshadow for the rest of his career. Right before that game, Jim Johnson was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2001 MLB draft where he decided to sign later that summer.

Jim debuted in 2006 at the age of 23 but didn't see consistent Major League action until 2008--and then took over the league. The former U-E Tiger pitched 68.2 innings, allowing a 2.23 ERA and by his age 28 season was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball...

Johnson led the American League in saves with 51 in 2012 and again with 50 in 2013. Jim's efforts earned him an All-Star nod in 2012 where he shoved a 2.49 ERA. 

Johnson was traded to Oakland in 2014 where he struggled a bit before bouncing back late in his career with the Atlanta Braves. Jim Johnson's final major league season was in 2018, capping off a career where he saw parts of 13 major league seasons, adding up to 178 saves, ranking 69th all-time in MLB.

For hoisting a New York State Championship in a tournament where he pitched a complete game in the semifinals, for getting drafted out of high school, and then being one of baseball's best closers for half a decade, just part of a 13-year career and still representing Endicott and coach Ed Folli...Jim Johnson comes in at number 14 on Fox 40's Top 40 Most Impactful Local Sports Figures.

PHOTOS SOURCED FROM PRESS & SUN-BULLETIN