Dennis Johnson

Born on the 6th of May, 1939, Dennis Johnson never took long to announce his presence as one of Jamaica's foremost athletes.

The sprinter's first signs of talent came when he went to Calabar and proved outstanding in the 1950s, with his main challenge coming from Kingston College's Mabrico Ventura.

By 1960, he was one of Jamaica's top sprinters and showed as much when he made the quarter-finals of the Rome Olympics. Running 10.51, Johnson finished fourth and never made the semi-final, but he didn't give up and went a round better in the 200 metres.

Running a very competent 21.25, Johnson finished third in the quarters before going on to finish fifth in the semi-finals in 21.16.

Top ranked runner

By 1961, Johnson was no longer a sprinter wondering about his ability to challenge on the world stage, he was now the number-two ranked runner in that elite group behind Frank Budd of the United States and ahead of Harry Jerome of Canada.

In 1961, Johnson performed a feat that to this day hasn't been usurped - even with the brilliance of Asafa Powell - when he equalled the World Record four times while attending the University of San Jose State, in California.

Three years later, Johnson again went to the Olympic Games, this time in Tokyo. Again he faced disappointment after finishing fifth in the quarter-final of the 100, and fourth in the final as a member of the of the 4x100 metres relay team.

Out of those Olympics came a new national sprint relay record of 39.68 seconds, which Johnson achieved with the assistance of Pablo McNeil, Patrick Robinson, and Lynsworth Headley.

By the time the 1968 Olympics came around, Johnson wasn't only known for his work on the track, he was also known for having a sympathetic shoulder towards the black civil rights movement in the United States. This principled lifestyle would do the man good over the next 30-odd years, when he devoted his life to giving back to sport.

Scholarships

Johnson was the director of sports at the University of Technology, where, thanks to him in large parts, athletes were able to acquire scholarships to schools in the United States.

Johnson also contributed greatly to track and field in the technical arena. He did, for instance, travel to the World Athletic Championships in 2001, in Edmonton, Canada as the national team's technical leader.

A year before at the Sydney Olympics, he went to the Games as assistant coach to Glenn Mills, and was the head coach at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England in 2002.

As a matter of fact, Johnson was one of Jamaica's pioneers in coaching sprinters, as he opened the Bolts of Lightening Sprint Club that had surprisingly fast times at international meets.

For his achievements as a sportsman and a sports administrator, Johnson was awarded the Order of Distinction, the fifth highest honour bestowed by the Jamaican Government.

- Paul-Andre Walker