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by Rafer Johnson /as told to Norman B. Rohrer
I suppose it’s quite an honor to pick up the paper and read after your name, “world’s greatest ath lete.” But except for a certain event that happened to me in high school I probably wouldn’t have gone so far in the field of sports. I was 10 when my parents moved me and my two brothers and two sisters from Hillsboro, Tex. to Kingsburg, Calif, in the heart of the beautiful San Joaquin Valley. I loved it there and thought I would never leave. I wanted to grow up, go to school and become a dentist. I didn’t care much about sports. I went to a lot of different churches in Kingsburg but there was a guy named Calvin Johnson who kept inviting me to the Mission Covenant Church where his father was pastor. I kept pushing him off but then he got a car and he came by for me every Sunday. Cal was a leader in the local Bible club activities so I went along with him and took part in the pro grams. I was religious and I thought I was pretty good. We had a tri-county Bible club kick-off banquet one night near Halloween in 1953 — my senior year in high school. A minister named Kauffman preached. I thought he was talking straight to me because he named my sins and they suddenly became clear. I wanted desperately to be forgiven and cleansed from them. He said anyone concerned about salvation should stay and speak to him after the meeting. I stayed behind and was surprised to see nine other members of our high school football team stay too. There wasn’t much emotion as I asked the Lord to come into my life. But later when I real
ized what He was doing for me, the tears really flowed. I don’t know when I’ve been happier. I felt great. From that time on we had a championship team. I’m sure the Lord did it. We had prayer before games, prayer after games, and went around speaking to other ath letes about the Lord. It was won derful. In the spring of 1954, Kingsburg raised money for me and my coach to fly to Atlantic City, N.J. where I placed third in decathlon in the National Amateur Athletic Union. This was my first big competition. When I got back to Kingsburg they had a parade and a reception. That fall I entered UCLA and enrolled in the pre-dental course. I kept participating in the 10-event decathlon—a curious type of sport in this age of specialization—and ran on track teams that won the NCAA Championship, the highest honor that can come to a college track team. I was able to keep bet tering my records and sportswriters began taking notice of them. On week ends I went out preach ing and through the week I attend ed Campus Crusade for Christ meet ings and took an active part in them. Regardless of*what I had to do, I always set aside a half-hour for Bible reading and prayer every day. I don’t know how I would have gotten along without that. I had to make a lot of decisions and Christ helped me every time. The next fall I set a new record in the Pan American Games in Mexico City. On June 9, 1955 in my home town I set a world’s rec ord in decathlon. I wasn’t expecting to. I wouldn’t have been disap
pointed if I had failed. But the Lord helped me, I’m sure. That put me in the race for the Olympics. In Crawfordsville, Ind. the next sum mer I outlasted 37 other candidates for the Olympics. I made the team! We left on November 8, 1956 in a huge, double-decker Boeing Strato- Clipper for the Olympic games in Melbourne, Australia. I was thrilled to be representing America in sports and at the same time having the opportunity to speak to athletes from other nations about Christ. In Melbourne we had worship services among the athletes. I often gave my testimony and sometimes Bob Richards would preach. When I think of the many friends I have made among great athletes from many parts of the world it makes me feel warm inside. Last summer I traveled through more than a dozen foreign coun tries from Europe to the Far East for the State Department of our country. During the time of the Little Rock outburst against segre gation I had the privilege of ex plaining to many people abroad that the Arkansas situation was not representative of the feeling of most Americans. My being a Negro was a great advantage in this. I’m planning to go on to dental school after I graduate next year. One thing I’m working on is the salvation of those near to me. I’m praying much about this. All the trophies and champion ships received from men will pass away. I would rather strive to be the greatest Christian in the world than the greatest athlete because when the lights go out it’ll be the Christian team, coached by Christ the Saviour, that will finally win.
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