[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 220 (Monday, December 28, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF RAFER JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 28, 2020

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Rafer 
Johnson, a notable athlete and Gold Olympic medalist recently passed 
away on December 2, 2020.
  Johnson was born in Hillsboro, Texas on August 18, 1934. When he was 
nine years old, he and his family moved to Kingsburg, CA. While 
attending high school, he was on the football, basketball, and baseball 
teams. He served as Class President both in junior high and high 
school. Johnson competed in a high school invitational decathlon and 
won the event. He also won the 1953 and 1954 California state high 
school decathlon meets.
  After graduating from Kingsburg High School, he attended the 
University of California, Los Angeles. He joined Pi Lamda Phi 
fraternity and served as Student Body President. He competed in his 
first decathlon in 1954 as a sophomore at UCLA. In 1955, he competed 
and won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Mexico City. He was 
the first Black American to be the flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic 
team. He continued his athletic journey and eventually won a silver 
medal in the 1956 Olympic decathlon in Melbourne, Australia.
  In 1960, he competed once again in the Olympics, held in Rome, Italy. 
He faced a unique challenge, as he competed against a fellow UCLA 
alumni and friend, Yang Chuan-Kwang. While both posed fierce 
challenges, Johnson won the gold medal. For his Olympic performance, 
Johnson received the James E. Sullivan Memorial Award, as the 
outstanding amateur athlete of 1960.
  After graduating from UCLA and finishing his decathlon career, 
Johnson embarked into a new chapter and began his film and media 
career. He worked in motion pictures as a sportscaster and then as a 
sports anchor on the local NBC affiliate in Los Angeles.
  Johnson also worked on the presidential election campaign of U.S. 
Senator Robert F. Kennedy and was there when he was assassinated. He 
was able to subdue the gunman. He later got involved in the Special 
Olympics, serving on the organizing committee. In 1979, he was asked to 
join the board of the committee working to bring the 1984 Summer 
Olympics to Los Angeles.
  Johnson had a bright and impactful career with many great 
achievements. In 2005, Johnson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane 
Letters (L.H.D.) degree from Whittier College. In November 2014, 
Johnson received the Athletes in Excellence Award from The Foundation 
for Global Sports Development, in recognition of his community service 
efforts and work with youth.
  Rafer Johnson Junior High School in Kingsburg, California is named 
after Johnson, as are Rafer Johnson Community Day School and Rafer 
Johnson Children's Center, both in Bakersfield, California.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating and 
honoring Mr. Rafer Johnson. His legacy and teachings will live in many 
for years to come. I join his family, friends and the community in 
celebrating his great life and legacy.

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