Rafer Johnson (1984) - Hall of Fame

Rafer Johnson

Induction:
1984

Rafer Johnson was the epitome of the student-athlete. He was an excellent scholar, president of the student body, and a two-sport performer in track and field and basketball for the Bruins. Often called the world's greatest all-around athlete, he already held the world record in the decathlon and had a silver medal in the event from the 1956 Olympics while at UCLA. In 1960, he completed a remarkable athletic career by winning the decathlon at the 1960 Olympic Games, defeating Bruin teammate C.K. Yang in a memorable finish in Rome. Johnson earned the Sullivan Award as nation's top amateur athlete that year.

After his athletic career, Johnson appeared in several motion pictures and was on television as a sportscaster. In the 1970s, he was a member of the President's Commission on Olympic Sports. Johnson, a member of the National Track and Field and U.S. Olympic Halls of Fame, was the final torchbearer for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Johnson's daughter, Jennifer Johnson-Jordan, was on the U.S. Olympic volleyball team for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Johnson was a charter member of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.