After high school, Johnson attended Tufts University. He describes his track career there as having more "lowlights than highlights." He did achieve some success as an athlete there, including notably a gold medal as a member of the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1963 Pan American Games, but injury curtailed his career. He was not a member of the USA track team for the 1964 Olympics; he was involved in an automobile accident on the way to the qualifying meet at Stanford University.
Early coaching career
Johnson earned a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School. He never practiced as a lawyer, instead working for the Governmental Affairs Institute in the United States Department of State in Washington D.C. Johnson thought of being a corporate lawyer but when told by the lawyer father of a school friend that "Regardless of what I think personally, my partners will say there is no room for blacks in corporate law", he realized that this color bar would mean that the law was not for him. While in Washington, Johnson started coaching high school athletes at St. Albans School, where he started in 1965 as coach, athletic director and teacher of cultural anthropology and history. Johnson got the job at St. Albans when, as a community organizer, he confronted the headmaster, the late Charles S. Martin, and objected that he was running “an all-white school in a black town.” To the retort "What was his solution?", Johnson replied, "I am the solution.". One of his pupils there was the promising young discus thrower, and future vice-president, Al Gore. His school lessons were also famed for their quirkiness. At St. Albans in 1970 he founded the Skip Grant program for students from traditionally under-represented backgrounds.
Johnson was hired by the Disney Corporation in 1996 "to jump-start a fledging sports program". He is still an active coach with a small select group of athletes that has included Justin Gatlin, Tiffany Williams and David Oliver. "It is actually quite easy because a lot of the problems have already been resolved," Johnson said of his athletes, "these people were outstanding with Olympic credentials before they ever came here, so they know their way to the podium. Our job is to retrace the steps back to the podium." Johnson is currently based at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World, usually to be found in his "signature beige straw hat". On the future, Johnson does not plan to retire, as he said, "I like kicking.I like to win, my whole life has been competitive," and he will continue "until they throw dirt in my face".
Accolades and awards
In 2018, Johnson was given the USA Track and Field Legend Coach Award. In 2010, Johnson was named Nike Coach of the Year by USA Track and Field.
Criticism
In 1992, one of Johnson's former athletes at Stanford University went public with her criticisms of Johnson's treatment of students.
