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Athlete Bio#
Age
Died (Aged 85)
1935-2020
Hometown
Kingsbury, CA
Education
Kingsbury High School (Kingsbury, Calif.) UCLA
Personal
Son of Lewis and Alma Johnson...Won the James E. Sullivan Award in 1960 as the nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete...Starred in 27 film and television productions as an actor...Served as a campaign worker on Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential bid...Torchbearer at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984...Co-author of autobiography “The Best That I Can Be” with Philip Goldberg...Father to two children, Jennifer and Joshua.Olympic Experience
- 2-time Olympian; 2-time Olympic medalist (1 gold, 1 silver)
- Olympic Games Rome 1960, gold (Decathlon - Men)
- Olympic Games Melbourne 1956, silver (Decathlon - Men)
Hall Of Fame Bio #
Rafer Johnson is an American decathlete who earned the silver medal at the Olympic Games Melbourne 1956 and the gold medal at the Rome 1960 Games. Johnson attended UCLA where he competed in his first decathlon in 1954, and a year later won the gold medal at the 1955 Pan American Games. The two-time Olympian had a successful acting career after retiring as an athlete, starring in “The Sins of Rachel Cade” (1961), “License to Kill” (1989) and a number of television shows. Johnson also helped with Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential bid campaign and was chosen to light the Olympic flame at the Los Angeles Games in 1984.
