UCLA to honor life of gold medalist Rafer Johnson on campus in October
UCLA Athletics announced plans to publicly honor the late Rafer Johnson following his death late last year.
The department sent a save the date to season-ticket holders Tuesday morning for a celebration of Johnson's life set for 4 p.m. on October 21 at Drake Stadium. Johnson suffered a stroke and died Dec. 2, 2020, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related local guidelines, UCLA was unable to host anything to honor his life and legacy in person.
Official invitations have yet to be sent out.
Johnson earned a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics, but his athletic achievements started in Westwood well before then. He broke the decathlon world record in 1955 – his freshman year at UCLA – played under John Wooden on the Briuns' men's basketball team and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams as a running back in the 28th round of the 1959 NFL Draft.
Following the 1960 Olympics, Johnson appeared as an actor in a dozen films, served a brief stint as a sports anchor at KNBC and earned a position on Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign team. Johnson was also one of the founding members of the Special Olympics, which debuted in 1968, and he was the final torch bearer at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
The track at Drake Stadium was named after Johnson and his wife, Betsy, in Oct. 2019.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said at the time the two were the perfect Bruins to help honor the university's centennial.
“As we look back across UCLA’s first 100 years and think about the people who helped shape this institution’s core values, Betsy and Rafer Johnson are among the first who come to mind,” Block said. “Their selfless efforts to inspire others and encourage opportunity for all perfectly embody UCLA’s mission."
Two years later, nearly to the day, UCLA will again celebrate Johnson's legacy and achievements in Drake Stadium and on the track that now bears his name.
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