There are few athletes that have experienced intense injuries and yet gone on to an Olympic win. Rafer Johnson is one such star. Overcoming an incredible array of odds that would have removed anyone from continuing in sports, Rafer became one of the best athletes in America.
Born in 1935, Johnson and his family moved a lot, so that his father and mother could earn a living to support their family. From Texas to California, the Johnsons shared the kind of poor existence that many families experienced during those hard economic times. Rafer demonstrated at an early age that he was not only a good athlete but an excellent student. As he got older, Johnson balanced his studies with after school, weekend and summer vacations work, helping his family.
While still quite young, Rafer had a horrible accident. While playing near a plant for food packing, he got his left foot caught in a conveyor belt. The sole of his foot was pulled, eventually infection set in and it required a long period of healing. The pain of this injury would be with Johnson the rest of his life, but, he never let it get him down. It would always be the lead foot that he started out his races with.
While growing up in California, he didn’t face the racial problems that were experienced elsewhere in the country. Johnson excelled in school with eleven school letters and had three athletic teams that he captained. Rafer’s versatility was obvious in these high school years. He played on three basketball teams that were all-league, was one of the best in track and field, played on the football team that was all-state and was known for his hard hitting batting in baseball that often broke the bats.
Johnson loved all sports and seemed to do well in everything he attempted. In his first real post-high school competition he came in at third place, but it was a touch of what was available for him in the future. The 1956 Olympics in Australia were looming and became an enticing vision for Rafer. He entered and won the decathlon in the Mexico City Pan Am Games and things were looking very good for Johnson.
Rafer Johnson was a realist and decided to use the academic scholarship instead of the football scholarship to attend University of California. His college years were filled with many outside activities and, as Rafer did with everything, he excelled in these as well. He added one additional sports touch by playing basketball on the UCLA team. Still, he had a dream of the Olympics and his coach helped him to qualify in the trials for the track and field team. A previous injury in his knee kept Rafer from doing what he considered his best, but he managed to get a silver medal. Surgery added recupe time and Johnson used the time wisely to bring his grades up and go on an eighty nine day U.S. Department of State goodwill tour.
In 1958, Johnson returned to track and field at the Kingsburg Invitational Decathlon, where he won, hands down. He then represented the United States in the first U.S./U.S.S.R. dual track meet and broke the world decathlon record in Moscow, Russia. The celebrity that Rafer experienced upon his return home led him to a Helms Athletic Foundation “World Trophy for North America”. This was immediately followed by the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) honor and there was award honored with his name at the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Sports Illustrated added to these accolades by announcing Rafer Johnson as “sportsman of the year” in 1959.
Johnson suffered another disaster when he was in a car accident. Serious injuries occurred to his lower back and spinal cord. If it was anyone else, they would have thrown-in-the-towel on sports, but not Rafer. Recuperation led to an uphill regiment of exercise, including jogging and later sprinting. By the 1960 Olympic trials, Johnson one again added his name to the role. He entered Rome as the captain of the Olympic team, a title never before held by an African American; carrying the United States flag for the opening ceremonies. Johnson brought home the gold medal that year for the decathlon, breaking all records, and adding the title of the world’s best athlete.
His return home was spectacular, receiving a second California Athlete of the Year, the Athlete of the Year Award by the Associate Press and numerous other awards. A documentary was done on Rafer’s life, with Mike Wallace narrating. An additional honor was given to Johnson when they did a special segment on ‘This is Your Life’. Over the next number of years Rafer added numerous television and movie appearances. Rafer became the vice president of personnel for affirmative action at Continental Telephone. Johnson’s celebrity status gave him the ability to start, encourage and be part of many organizations, including People to People, the Peace Corps and Special Olympics. His close association with then Senator Robert Kennedy opened the door to Rafer participating in Kennedy’s presidential candidate participation. Johnson was with Kennedy on the tragic day in 1968 when Kennedy was shot and helped with the arrest of the murderer. His close association with Kennedy was great blow to him personally and he was a pallbearer at Robert Kennedy’s funeral.
Rafer Johnson continued his career as more of an ambassador of sports. He went on to participate in incredible number of organizations that assisted in helping kids and adults to achieve their sports dreams. He was there at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and lit the torch to start the games. His daughter participated in the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia and Johnson had the unique opportunity to watch her compete.
Rafer Johnson has a name in history of not only being the best in all around sports, but as a true humanitarian.