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.
Continue reading “Rafer Johnson: All around sports star and humanitarian”
The world of tennis has traditionally been more of a western sport, led by mostly those that followed protocol and propriety. While there have been exceptions to this rule, they were few and far between. Serena Williams, on the other hand slammed onto the court with a sense of style like no other and a personality that made everyone smile. As an African American woman, she changed the face of tennis and at the same time, elevated it to a sport that now had that ‘wow’ factor.