Olympian Aids the Disabled in Being ‘the Best’

Relaxing in the living room of the Sherman Oaks home he has shared with his wife, Betsy, for 24 years, Rafer Johnson walks to the dining room where a huge, panoramic photograph of the opening ceremonies of the ’84 Games nearly covers the wall. He points to a figure standing beneath the just-lit Olympic torch, appearing no bigger than a fingertip.

“That’s me,” he said.

Today, the larger-than-life Olympic track star, 61, speaks as animatedly about his current passion--next month’s Southern California Special Olympics Games in Big Bear--as he does about his past accomplishments.

“I achieved what I did because a lot of people helped me,” Johnson said. “Every kid and every adult needs that opportunity to compete, whether they win or lose--to be able to one day say, ‘I was as good as I could be.’ The Special Olympics provides that opportunity.” Johnson, who looks as though he could still hurdle his way into the record books, has devoted a good deal of his life to the Washington-based organization since he jumped on board as a volunteer in 1968. A member of the national and international Special Olympics Board of Governors, the Johnson also serves as national head coach for the annual statewide summer and winter games and the quadrennial international games.

His colleagues say that his commitment to mentally and physically disabled children and adults is reminiscent of the charisma and focus he brought to his sport over the years.

“Rafer has compassion. He sees what someone needs and tries to help him,” said Special Olympics co-founder Sargent Shriver. “Thirty years ago, he instinctively knew that by concentrating on athletics, help could be given to people with mental retardation. He’s been 100% on board from the beginning.”

The same could be said of every life challenge he’s embraced.

Johnson, a Texas native, grew up in a small town near Fresno, where he lettered in track, football, basketball and baseball, and served as student body president at Kingsburg High School.

He graduated from UCLA in 1954, where in addition to serving as student body president, he helped put track and field events on the sports map at the Westwood campus.

A gold-medal decathlon winner at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico, Johnson went on to win the silver medal in the same event at the Melbourne Olympic Games in ’56 and the gold in Rome in 1960.

Following the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy--a personal friend whose death hit him particularly hard--Eunice Kennedy Shriver invited Johnson to lend his support to the fledgling Special Olympics. He readily agreed.

Johnson went on to co-found the California Special Olympics in 1969, for which he served as president for 10 years, and for which he still spearheads fund-raising and public-speaking events year-round.

The tireless volunteer was recently honored as a recipient of the Northridge Fashion Center/Los Angeles Times/Daily News 1997 Share the Care Award for outstanding community service. Colleagues say it’s an honor he richly deserves.

“Rafer is the best human being I’ve ever met,” said Dick Van Kirk, president of the California Special Olympics. “He’s our inspiration and our most visible public spokesperson. He epitomizes being ‘The best you can be,’ which is our motto. The athletes look up to him, as do we all.”

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