Benjamin Washington Johnson was an American sprinter who was considered a serious rival to Olympic gold medalistJesse Owens. Known as the "Columbia Comet", Johnson was the United States champion at 100 yards in 1938, but injuries and the outbreak of the Second World War denied him the chance of ever competing in the Olympics. In later life he became one of the first African-Americans to attain the rank of colonel in the United States Army.
Early life
Born in Virginia, Johnson moved with his mother from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, to Plymouth, Pennsylvania about 1929. He attended Plymouth High School, where beginning in his freshman year, he was a member of the school's track and field team. In May 1930, he and his teammates competed in the Pennsylvania state finals at Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Johnson placed third in the 220 yard dash. Johnson continued his track success as a junior, breaking state records in the 100 and 220 yard dash. 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". At the trials themselves he was eliminated in a heat of the 200 yards.
College track career
After graduating from Plymouth High School, Johnson entered Columbia University, where he majored in political science, while competing as a member of the Columbia Lions track team. During the 1935 season, Johnson won the AAU indoor title at 60 meters, equaling Jesse Owens's world best time of 6.6 seconds set earlier in the day. However, injury curtailed the remainder of the season. In 1936, the Olympic year, he was injured in the AAU Championships a week before the Olympic Trials. In 1937 at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics outdoor championships, Johnson, now known by the moniker "The Columbia Comet", won titles as 100 yards, 220 yards, and the long jump - the first athlete in the twentieth century to do so., That year he also won the NCAA 220 yard title. 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. In 1938, he also claimed his third AAU indoor title at 60 yards, having won previously in 1935 and 1937. Johnson won the 100 yards in the AAU Championships in 1938. 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.
Later life
After graduation from college, Johnson worked as a teacher at the Bordertown Manual Training School. He joined the United States Army in 1942, eventually reaching the rank of Colonel—one of the first African-Americans to do so. He left the army in 1968 to resume his education, earning a master's degree from Maryland University. Afterwards, Johnson lived at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where he worked as a bureau director for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, heading the department's affirmative action program. He died in December 1992, survived by his granddaughter, Lauren Johnson. His only child, Norbert Carl Benjamin Johnson, had died earlier that year.
Accolades and awards
In 1971, Johnson was elected a member of the inaugural class of the Wyoming Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
