Official profile of Olympic athlete Rafer JOHNSON (born 18 Aug 1934), including games, medals, results, photos, videos and news. This exemplifies Johnson’s commitment to help others and ensure that everyone performs to the best of their ability, and to give all the tools to succeed. He said that the event was such a positive environment and he wanted to help the movement grow. . Rafer took a brief pause in his acting career to focus on other aspirations, including public and social service with Special Olympics, and even participating in Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1968. Kevin and Jennifer Jordan later served as chaplains for the UCLA women’s basketball team. Your email address will not be published. Johnson worked in television as well, appearing on shows, and eventually sports casting. During his time at Kingsburg High School, Johnson received overwhelming encouragement from his family, friends, and coaches, but he specifically credits his coach, Murl Dodson, for the drive to try out different programs that he would not have done on his own, like the long jump or hurdles. Although his last year of college track eligibility ended in the spring of 1958, he remained in Westwood. He was named AP Athlete of the Year and won the 1960 AAU Sullivan Award. In 1974, he was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame and, in 1990, was elected to the National High School Hall of Fame. In 1972, the International Special Olympics was held in Southern California at UCLA and Santa Monica College, welcoming over 2,500 athletes from eight countries across the globe. In 1984, he lit the Olympic Flame at the Los Angeles Games. Rafer had the lead by a small number of points, but Yang was ready to fight for the gold. Born in the central Texas town of Hillsboro on this date in 1935, Rafer Lewis Johnson moved with his family several times as a child. After his victories in the 1953 and 1954 decathlon meet, he began his college career at University of California, Los Angeles, where he would go on to become class president, and even win the gold in the 1955 Pan American Games for the decathlon in Mexico City. In 1938, the Johnsons lived in Dallas. Following his retirement from athletics in 1960, Johnson took up acting. A natural leader, he served as president of his sophomore class and student body president as a senior. It was in this final sprint that Johnson ran a personal best of 4:49.7 and earned the gold. © 2008 - 2020 Special Olympics Southern California And that’s why I am for special athletes - another set of eyes, another set of hands, and a heart working to be there for them, finding a way to help them be the best they can be. “From the first day we met,” said Johnson, “we were friends.”. By the tenth event, both men were drained but knew they had to finish the decathlon with everything they had. Johnson was introduced to decathlon after watching double Olympic champion Bob Mathias, a local hero from nearby Tulare, California, compete at a local meet. The Johnsons and their five children would relocate to Kingsburg, California, in 1944. He would use this time to improve Special Olympics, increasing fundraisers and adjusted the team to appropriately serve the community. In the summer of 1958, C.K. He played 16 years in the NFL and was named as a starting cornerback on the league’s 1970s All-Decade Team. He is still active in sports communities, and his daughter, Jennifer, and his son, Joshua, are both involved with athletics and Olympic events. Then, in 1986, LAPD joined the organization for the Law Enforcement Torch Run to raise awareness and funds for the group. As time pressed on, so did Special Olympics. Athleticism runs in the Johnson family. An exceptional athlete, he starred for the Vikings in baseball, football, basketball and track. The heavily-favored Johnson was not at his best, finishing second to the little-known Milt Campbell, who set a new Olympic record. For a while, they were the only black family in the town. As world record holder, flag-bearer and captain of the U.S. Olympic Team, Johnson came into the 1960 Rome Games as the heavy favorite. In March 1955, he took the decathlon gold medal at the Pan Am Games in Mexico City. Rafer took a brief pause in his acting career to focus on other aspirations, including public and social service with Special Olympics, and even participating in Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1968. Authorized and Accredited by Special Olympics, Inc. for the Benefit of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display skip to content Johnson declined a football scholarship and accepted a less restrictive academic scholarship to UCLA. Johnson was the first African-American flag bearer at an Olympics, first black recipient of the Sullivan Award as best amateur athlete in America, and was the first African-American to be named Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year.”. Johnson helped UCLA to the first track and field title in school history, then walked onto the Bruins basketball team to play for coach John Wooden. Johnson knew more needed to be done for people with intellectual disabilities so in 1969, he helped form the Southern California chapter of Special Olympics after the success of the First Annual Western Regional Special Olympics in July. In May 2017 – more than five-and-a-half decades after achieving Olympic stardom – Rafer Johnson was awarded the UCLA Medal, the highest honor the university can bestow, in recognition of his decades of leadership in the Special Olympics and unwavering efforts supporting equality for all. Jennifer married Kevin Jordan, a former All-American wide receiver for UCLA. Today, Special Olympics reaches 170 countries, with over 4.4 million individuals with intellectual disabilities, 34,500 of which are from Southern California. Made possible by Striking Idea, Special Olympics Southern California's Founder & Olympic Gold Medalist. Johnson retired following the Games and returned home an Olympic hero. Special Olympics Southern California's Founder and Olympic Gold Medalist. Rafer Johnson received a call from Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968 as an invitation to the first Special Olympics Games in Chicago. Dodson went with Johnson to the 1952 U.S. Decathlon Olympic Trials, where Johnson’s passion and focus for Olympic competition grew and pushed him to be the very best. Johnson worked in television as well, appearing on shows, and eventually sports casting. Daily Dose Sports Publications © All rights reserved. I’m on their team” (Bueno 1994). After winning the decathlon gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics, Johnson served in the Peace Corps. After taking home the gold in Rome, Rafer Johnson concluded his days of competing as an athlete. Johnson worked as a weekend sports anchor in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles and color commentator for track and field events. I think the most successful people are those who have someone helping them . Rafer’s younger brother, Jimmy, was an NCAA 110-meter hurdle champion at UCLA and first pick of the 1961 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. The 1960 decathlon quickly became a two-man competition, with the lead see-sawing between Johnson and Yang – dubbed the “Iron Asian.”  The closest of friends and keenest of rivals, the gold medal came down to the last event — the 1,500 meters. Johnson returned to form in 1960, setting a new world record [and third of his career] at the Olympic Trials in July. Johnson took inspiration from the 1968 Special Olympics to go out and create something beautiful, which will continue to benefit the world for generations to come, and in turn, inspire others to do the same. Mr. Johnson worked as a weekend sports anchor in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles and color commentator for track and field events. The Olympic decathlon is held over two days, with five events each day. A two-time Olympic medalist, Johnson was an All-State high school running back who, despite not playing college football, was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1961. If I knew I was going to win, it’s because I knew I had worked harder. Despite the blistering pace set by Yang, Johnson held close, running a personal-best 4:49.7, only 1.2 seconds behind his rival. A black man, Johnson was class president at his all-white high school and later served as class president at UCLA. Johnson attended Kingsburg Union High School, where he was an honors student. Johnson and Yang became training partners under Bruins coach Elvin “Ducky” Drake. Rafer Johnson has incessantly and tirelessly worked his whole life, and it was the same motivation he saw in Special Olympic athletes that continues to push him to this day, as seen in his quote from Special Olympics: The First 25 Years: “There are lots of ways to find success. A versatile athlete, he played on Kingsburg High School's football, baseball and basketball teams. Johnson was born in Hillsboro, Texas, but the family moved to Kingsburg, California, when he was 9. Not one to rest on his laurels, Rafer Johnson has been involved deeply with Special Olympics, where he got his start with the program in Southern California. Johnson qualified for the 1956 U.S. Olympic team in both decathlon and long jump, but knee and stomach muscle injuries forced him to withdraw from the latter event. Yang, a superb decathlete from Taiwan, enrolled at UCLA. In team work, there’s much more strength, depth, and success. Required fields are marked *. . Seventeen years later, Jimmy Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was then that California Special Olympics was divided into the Northern and Southern chapters to better meet the needs of their ever-expanding communities. Rafer’s daughter, Jennifer, played volleyball at UCLA and won a silver medal at the 1999 Beach Volleyball World Championships. Hard work is one of them. The two athletes battled for the top spot, both giving all they had to defeat the other. ", ~Rafer Johnson, Special Olympics Southern California's Founder & Olympic Gold Medalist. He was also elected class president in both junior high and high school. Your email address will not be published. For a time, the Johnsons were the only African-American family in town. Rafer Johnson would then go on to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, where he and fellow UCLA alumni, Yang Chuan-Kwang, would have one of the fiercest competitions in Olympic history. In 1984, he lit the Olympic Flame at the Los Angeles Games. Created by the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation. After finishing his career as the Bruins’ all-time leader in catches and receiving yards, Jordan had stints with three NFL teams. Johnson had been a member of the Board of Directors for years, until he ran for President of Special Olympics Southern California, which he won in 1983. Behind by only 67 points, Yang needed to win by ten seconds to capture the gold medal. Two months later in Rome, he and Yang, the son of a rice farmer, battled in one of the most epic duals in Olympic decathlon history. Born in the central Texas town of Hillsboro on this date in 1935, Rafer Lewis Johnson moved with his family several times as a child. One of the best man-to-man defenders in NFL history, San Francisco retired his number 37 in 1977. He entered his first competition as a UCLA freshman and enjoyed immediate success. Alongside Annett Davis, she competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, finishing fifth. I wanted to be on Eunice Kennedy Shirver's team as another set of eyes, another set of hands and a heart working to be there for them, finding a way to help them be the best they can be.