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Biography of Rafer JohnsonName: Rafer JohnsonBirth Date: August 18, 1935 Death Date: N/A Place of Birth: Hillsboro, Texas, United States Nationality: American Gender: Male Occupations: decathlete, goodwill ambassador Rafer Johnson Rafer Johnson (born 1935) won the Olympic decathlon in 1960 with a record-breaking score of 8,392 points. The decathlon winner, according to tradition, is regarded as the best all-around athlete in the world.Rafer Johnson was an outstanding all-around athlete, as proven by his record-breaking win of the Olympic gold medal for the decathlon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy. As captain of the American Olympic Team, he bore the U.S. flag proudly in the opening ceremonies of the games that year and was the first African American to assume that special honor. He spent many years before and after his Olympic triumph spreading the message of peace as an international ambassador of goodwill, and in 1984 he received the distinctive honor of lighting the Olympic flame at the games in Los Angeles, California.From his birth in 1935 until age two, Rafer Lewis Johnson lived in the large home of his paternal grandparents …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…The family moved to Sherman Oaks, California, in 1973.Twenty-four years after his gold-medal victory, Johnson relived his Olympic glory days by running the final lap of the opening ceremonies relay and lighting the Olympic torch for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. In 1990 he was elected to the National High School Hall of Fame, and in 1992 he received the Humanitarian Award from Free Arts for Abused Children. In 2000 Johnson realized a unique dream, and what he called his greatest moment, when he watched his own daughter compete in the Olympic games in Sydney, Australia. Further Reading Johnson, Rafer, The Best That I Can Be: An Autobiography, Doubleday, 1998.Notable Black American Men, Gale Research, 1999."From Rags to Sport Riches," ESPN.com, http://espn.go.com/sportscentury(December 14, 2000)."Olympic Champion Rafer Johnson," September 14, 2000, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/2000/09/14/head_games_rafer_johnson/ (December 14, 2000)."Rafer Johnson," http://www.webpak.net/~hallfame (March 23, 2001). |