Rafer Johnson

Rafer Johnson was a very strong athlete.

He was a decathlete. This means he did ten different sports. He won a gold medal in 1960. He also won a silver medal in 1956.

Later, he worked in movies. He was also an actor on TV. Rafer helped start the Special Olympics. This group helps people play sports.

He was a very busy man.

Rafer Johnson was a great athlete.

He was a decathlete. This means he competed in ten different track and field events. He won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He also won a silver medal in 1956. In 1960, he set a new Olympic record.

His main rival was C. K. Yang from Taiwan. The two men were friends and trained together. After his sports career, Johnson became an actor. He appeared in many movies. He even acted in a James Bond film. He also worked as a sportscaster on TV. Johnson helped start the California Special Olympics. This group helps people with intellectual disabilities play sports.

He helped lead the group for many years. He was a very active person in his community. He even lit the Olympic flame in 1984. His daughter also went to the Olympics to play volleyball.

Rafer Johnson was a famous American athlete and actor. He was a decathlete, which means he competed in ten different track and field events. This sport requires many different skills like running, jumping, and throwing. Johnson was incredibly talented at almost everything he tried. He won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Before that, he won a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. He also won gold at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City. His many wins made him a true legend in the world of sports.

Being a decathlete is a very hard job. Athletes must master many different moves to succeed. In the 1960 Olympics, Johnson had a very close race. His main rival was C. K. Yang from Taiwan. The two men were friends who trained together at UCLA.

During the competition, the lead changed back and forth between them. After nine events, Johnson was leading by a small amount. In the final event, the 1500 meter run, Yang was very fast. Johnson ran his personal best time of 4:49.7. He won the gold medal by only 58 points. Both men were so tired they leaned on each other for support.

Johnson's journey began in Hillsboro, Texas, in 1934. His family later moved to Kingsburg, California, when he was nine years old. He was a very busy student in school. He played soccer, baseball, and basketball at Kingsburg High School. He was even elected class president. When he went to UCLA, he continued to break records. In 1954, he broke the world record for the decathlon. He also played basketball for the UCLA Bruins. His coach, John Wooden, said Johnson was a great defensive player.

After his sports career, Johnson found new ways to be successful. He became an actor in many movies and shows. He appeared in films like Wild in the Country and Tarzan and the Great River. He even acted in a James Bond film called Licence to Kill.

Johnson also worked as a sportscaster on television. In 1968, he was part of a group that helped catch a man at the Ambassador Hotel. This happened right after Robert F. Kennedy was shot. Johnson later wrote about this in his book, The Best That I Can Be.

Johnson used his fame to help many people through service. He helped start the California Special Olympics in 1969. This group helps people with intellectual disabilities enjoy sports like swimming and track. He served on the board of directors for many years. He even became the president of the board in 1983. In 1984, he lit the Olympic flame in Los Angeles. This made him the first Black athlete to do so. He passed his love of sports to his family too. His daughter, Jennifer, played volleyball in the 2000 Olympics.

Rafer Johnson was a versatile American athlete, actor, and public servant. He is most famous for being an elite decathlete. A decathlon is a track and field competition consisting of ten different events. This sport requires immense physical strength, speed, and endurance. Johnson achieved the highest honors in this discipline during the mid-20th century. He won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

He also earned a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. His career spanned sports, entertainment, and significant humanitarian work.

The decathlon is a grueling test of athletic ability. Athletes must master various disciplines, including running, jumping, and throwing. In the 1960 Olympic competition, Johnson faced a legendary rivalry with Yang Chuan-Kwang. Yang was an athlete from Taiwan who also trained at UCLA. The two men were close friends and trained under coach Elvin "Ducky" Drake. During the ten events, the lead shifted frequently between the two competitors. After nine events, Johnson held a narrow lead over Yang. The final event was the 1500-meter run, which was Yang's specialty. Johnson ran a personal best time of 4:49.7. Although he was slightly slower than Yang in that final race, Johnson won the gold medal by 58 points. He set an Olympic record with a total of 8,392 points.

The two exhausted athletes leaned on each other for support at the finish line.

Johnson's athletic journey began in Hillsboro, Texas, in 1934. His family moved to Kingsburg, California, when he was nine years old. He was a standout student-athlete at Kingsburg High School. He participated in soccer, baseball, and basketball. He also served as class president in both junior high and high school. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), his talent grew rapidly. In 1954, during his freshman year, he broke the world record for the decathlon. He also played basketball for the UCLA Bruins under the famous coach John Wooden. Wooden praised Johnson as an excellent defensive player.

After retiring from competitive athletics, Johnson transitioned into several new careers. He became a professional actor appearing in numerous films and television shows. His credits include the Elvis Presley film *Wild in the Country* and the James Bond movie *Licence to Kill*. He also appeared in two *Tarzan* films. In the early 1970s, he worked as a full-time sportscaster. He served as a weekend sports anchor for the Los Angeles NBC affiliate, KNBC. Johnson also worked on the presidential election campaign for Senator Robert F. Kennedy. On June 5, 1968, Johnson, along with Rosey Grier and George Plimpton, apprehended Sirhan Sirhan. This occurred immediately after Sirhan had fatally shot Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel. Johnson later detailed this intense experience in his 1999 autobiography, *The Best That I Can Be*.

Johnson was deeply committed to public service and supporting others through sport. He played a vital role in the creation of the Special Olympics. He served on the organizing committee for the first Special Olympics in Chicago in 1968. In 1969, he helped found the California Special Olympics. This organization began with a competition for 900 individuals with intellectual disabilities at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Johnson served on the board of directors for many years. He was elected president of the board in 1983 and served until 1992. He eventually became the chairman of the Board of Governors. His work helped expand fundraising and programming for swimming and track and field.

Throughout his life, Johnson received many prestigious honors. In 1958, *Sports Illustrated* named him Sportsman of the Year. In 1960, he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. This achievement was significant because he was the first Black athlete to break the award's color barrier. During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Johnson was chosen to light the Olympic flame. This made him the first Black athlete in Olympic history to perform this duty. He was also inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in 1994. His legacy is recognized by many institutions, including the NCAA and the California Hall of Fame.

Johnson's influence extended to his family and his community. His brother, Jimmy Johnson, was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His daughter, Jennifer, competed in beach volleyball at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. His son, Joshua, also competed in track and field at a high level. In California, several schools bear his name, including the Rafer Johnson Community Day School. These institutions continue to honor his dedication to youth and education. Rafer Johnson passed away on December 2, 2020, at the age of 86. He left behind a lasting legacy in sports, film, and humanitarianism.