Ben Johnson (American sprinter)

Ben Johnson
Personal information
Birth name Benjamin Washington Johnson
Born 1914
Virginia
Died 1992 (aged 77–78)
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight 150 lb (68 kg)

Ben Johnson (1914–1992) was an American sprinter who was considered a serious rival to Jesse Owens. Known as the "Columbia Comet", Johnson was the United States champion at 100 yards in 1938. Injury and the outbreak of the Second World War denied him the chance of competing in the Olympics.

In later life he became one of the first African-American colonels in the United States Army.

Early life

Born in Virginia, Johnson first achieved track success as a junior at Plymouth High School in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, breaking state records at 100 and 220 yards.[1] He was invited to take part at the 1932 United States Olympic Trials but initially declined the offer because of the cost of travel. However, the local Plymouth townsfolk raised the funds to pay for his trip, calling it the "Ben Johnson Olympic Fund".[2][3] At the trials themselves he was eliminated in a heat of the 200 yards.[4]

College track career

Johnson attended Columbia University, majoring in Political science, and competing for the Columbia Lions track team.[2]

The indoor season of 1935 saw him win the AAU indoor title at 60 yards, equaling Jesse Owens's world best time of 6.6 seconds. However, injury curtailed his outdoor season.

In 1936, the Olympic year, he was injured in the AAU Championships a week before the Olympic Trials.[5]

In 1937 at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) outdoor championships, Johnson, now known by the moniker "The Columbia Comet",[1] won titles as 100 yards, 220 yards, and the long jump - the first athlete in the twentieth century to do so.,[5] That year he also won the NCAA 220 yard title.[6]

In 1938, at the Millrose Games, he won the 60 yard title in a reputed new world's best time of 6.0 seconds. However, the time was not accepted and so he had to be content with being credited with a time of 6.1 s, simply equaling the world's best time up to that point.[7][8] In 1938, he also claimed his third AAU indoor title at 60 yards, having won previously in 1935 and 1937.[9]

Johnson won the 100 yards in the AAU (USA National Track and Field) Championships in 1938.[10] In the AAU championships, he was also 6th in 1936, 2nd in 1937 and 5th in 1939. As a result of such runs, in the 1938 season he was considered the world's pre-eminent sprinter. His season was curtailed unfortunately by him suffering from a bout of measles.[5]

Later life

After graduation from college, Johnson worked as a teacher at the Bordertown Manual Training School.[5]

He joined the United States Army in 1942, eventually reaching the rank of Colonel - one of the first African-Americans to do so.[1][3] He left the army in 1968 and resumed his education, earning a master's degree at Maryland University.[2][11]

He then settled in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare as a bureau director, heading their affirmative action program.[2][8]

Johnson died in December of 1992 leaving behind a Granddaughter Lauren Johnson. Ben's only child Norbert Carl Benjamin Johnson died earlier that same year.

Accolades and awards

In 2006, he was a member of the inaugural class of the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame.[12]

He was also elected a member of the inaugural class of the Wyoming Valley Sports Hall of Fame.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brett Hoover. "Ben Johnson". Ivy league. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 John Erzar (December 5, 1999). "SPRINTER SHOWED WORLD-CLASS SPEED IN THE 1930S". Times Leader.
  3. 1 2 Bill Kashatus (May 25, 2015). "Plymouth's Ben Johnson once considered world's fastest sprinter". citizensvoice.comColumbia University Athletics. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  4. ↑ http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field, R Hymans, USA Track & Field, 2008
  5. 1 2 3 4 "BEN JOHNSON track and field". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/tfn_pdfs/ncaa_history_pdfs/ncaam200.pdf
  7. ↑ Sheldon Shepard. "Relax and Be Strong". The Rotarian.
  8. 1 2 Tim Vecsey (January 20, 1988). "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; The Other Ben Johnson". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ "UNITED STATES INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN)". www.gbrathletics.com. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  10. ↑ http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/tafn-presults?list_id=36&sex_id=M&event_id=1 USA Outdoor Track and Field Champions, Men's 100 m, USA Track and Field.
  11. ↑ Thomas Rogers, Roy S. Johnson and Jack Cavanaugh (September 7, 1987). "SPORTS WORLD SPECIALS; From Another Era". The New York Times.
  12. ↑ "The Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  13. ↑ "The Wyoming Valley Sports Hall Of Fame Announces Its First Annual Selection". WV Sports H.O.F. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
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