Born deaf to deaf parents in Washington, D.C., in 1935, John Miller attended the Kendall School, which was only a short distance from his home. At age 14, he joined the Kendall Wildcats basketball team and quickly became a standout player, scoring an average of 20.2 points a game and never missing a single game. He was honored as an All-American each year between 1951 and 1953, and during his senior year, 1953, he was recognized as an All-D.C. player and also named the Silent Worker’s Player of the Year.

Miller attended Gallaudet College for one year and then left to take a job as a linotype operator at the Government Printing Office, where he continued to work until his retirement 39 years later.

Miller was also very active in the local deaf clubs, including the District of Columbia Club for the Deaf (DCCD), which later moved to Maryland and changed its name to the Metropolitan Washington Association of the Deaf (MWAD). He served six years as MWAD president, growing the club to 515 members, and was also active in publishing the MWAD’s newsletter, Dee Cee Eyes.

Even after his graduation from Kendall School, Miller continued to be involved in deaf sports, particularly basketball and softball, through the regional Southeast Athletic Association of the Deaf (SEAAD) and its nationwide affiliate, the American Athletic Association of the Deaf (AAAD). He played on the DCCD/MWAD basketball team for 17 years, scoring over 7000 points. During this time, the DCCD team won the SEAAD regional title 15 out of 17 seasons, and the AAAD national championship once, in 1965. He also represented America in basketball at the World Games for the Deaf in 1961 and 1965, winning gold medals both times. In 1977, DCCD won its first AAAD softball championship with Miller as a player-manager.

After retiring as a player, Miller remained active in the SEAAD and AAAD, including serving as SEAAD vice president for six years and president for two terms, as well as AAAD softball commissioner for 13 years. During his six years as MWAD president, the MWAD basketball team won the AAAD title four times, and the softball team also won several championships. He was named to the SEAAD and AAAD Halls of Fame in 1980 as a player and then later as a delegate-at-large.

After retiring from the GPO, Miller and his wife, Ausma, relocated to Arizona in 2005. He was co-chair, with Lois Hoover, of the Kendall School 150th Anniversary celebration.