Johnny Vitrano (2025) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Johnny Vitrano

Induction:
2025

Johnny Vitrano (Baseball, 1967-1970; Men’s Basketball, 1967-1970)
Guard
New Orleans, La. | Brother Martin HS

About
A two-sport athlete from 1967 to 1970, Johnny Vitrano earned a total of seven letters as a member of the baseball and men’s basketball teams. On the hardwood, he was a three-year letterwinner from 1967 to 1970 after playing on the freshman team in 1966-67. An efficient scorer, he scored 1,117 career points in just three seasons thanks to his career average of 14.7 points per game. He is still the 12th-fastest player to reach 1,000 points in school history, doing so in 68 games on Jan. 27, 1970, against Old Dominion. His totals were the ninth-most in school history at the time and currently rank 34th overall.

He is still ranked inside the top 10 in career field goal percentage, second-best at the time, and free throws made, third-most at the time. He also set a record for season field goal percentage with a 57.9 percent mark in 1967-68, which still ranks eighth on the program charts. He reached a career-high 31 points twice in his career and led Southern Miss in field goal percentage in all three seasons while leading the squad in at the charity stripe in his last two campaigns.

The New Orleans, La., native helped Southern Miss to a 49-27 overall record in his three seasons, highlighted by a 31-7 record at Reed Green Coliseum, including a perfect 11-0 showing in 1967-68. In addition to his prowess with a basketball, Vitrano also earned four letters on the baseball diamond from 1967-70. Vitrano’s best career year came in 1970 when he led the team with a .273 batting average, 16 RBI, 21 hits, five doubles, two triples and two home runs.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1970, Vitrano began a 52-year career as an educator in Louisiana. He was a teacher and basketball coach for 25 years at Holy Cross High School (New Orleans), Brother Martin High School (New Orleans) and Mandeville High School (Mandeville) before moving into administration at the Saint Tammany Parish School District. He worked 27 combined years as an assistant principal at Saint Tammany Junior High School (Slidell), principal at Boyet Junior High School (Slidell) and principal at Fontainebleau High School (Mandeville).

Throughout his career, he has twice been named Saint Tammany Parish Principal of the Year, earned the 2012 Louisiana State PTA Educator of Distinction Award, while twice being named as his districts’ Coach of the Year.

Vitrano resides in Covington, La., with his wife and Southern Miss alumna Irma. The couple has two children: James, an attorney, executive and business owner who played men’s basketball at Florida Tech; and Leslie, who works as vice president of global marketing at Schneider Electric and previously worked as an assistant women’s volleyball coach at Brown. One of Vitrano’s grandchildren, Sophia, is a current sophomore at Southern Miss.