Robert Walter Johnson
Robert Walter "Whirlwind" Johnson (April 16, 1899 – June 28, 1971) was an American physician, college football player and coach, and founder of the American Tennis Association Junior Development Program for African-American youths, where he coached and fostered the careers of Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson.[1]
Robert Walter Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 16 April 1899 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | 28 June 1971 (aged 72) Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) Meharry Medical College |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Internal medicine, sports medicine |
| Institutions | Lynchburg General Hospital |
College football career
Johnson graduated in 1924 from Lincoln University, a historically black college in Pennsylvania. He was a classmate of Melvin B. Tolson. Johnson played college football as a halfback at Lincoln and was captain of the 1923 Lincoln Lions football team, which won a black college football national championship.[2] He was selected to the All-Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) First Team in 1923.[3]
Johnson served as the head football coach at Virginia Theological Seminary and College—now known as Virginia University of Lynchburg–in 1924, Samuel Huston College in Austin, Texas in 1925, and Morris Brown College in Atlanta in 1926.[4][5] In 1927 he was assistant football coach at Atlanta University in charge of the backfield and ends under head football coach Chief Aiken. Johnson was the manager of Aiken and Faulkner Rent Department at the time.[6][7]
Medical career
Johnson was the first African-American physician to receive practice rights at Lynchburg General Hospital in Virginia.[8] Johnson continued his medical practice in Lynchburg for his entire career.
Tennis career
Known as the "godfather" of black tennis, Johnson founded an all-expenses-paid tennis camp for African-American children and hired instructors.[9] In these years in the segregated South, they had no public courts where they could learn tennis, and many did not have money for lessons. Johnson was instrumental in encouraging the athletic careers of both Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, who he coached.[10][11]
Death
Johnson died on June 28, 1971, at a hospital in Lynchburg, Virginia, following a seven-month-long illness.[12]
Legacy and honors
- Johnson was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.[13]
- Johnson was nominated as a contributor in 2007 for the International Tennis Hall of Fame and was inducted with the Class of 2009.[14]
- His home and training center, the Dr. Robert Walter Johnson House and Tennis Court, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[8]
- The Walter Johnson Health Center, a large medical care and community health education center in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia, was named in his honor.[15]
- The Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Memorial Invitational, Petersburg, Virginia[16]
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Seminary Dragons (Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1924) | |||||||||
| 1924 | Virginia Seminary | 4–4 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| Virginia Seminary: | |||||||||
| Samuel Huston Dragons (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (1925) | |||||||||
| 1925 | Samuel Huston | ||||||||
| Samuel Huston: | |||||||||
| Morris Brown Wolverines (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1926) | |||||||||
| 1926 | Morris Brown | ||||||||
| Morris Brown: | |||||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
References
- "Whirlwind Johnson Foundation". whirlwindjohnson.org. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ""Whirlwind" Johnson To Captain "Lions" in 1923". Topeka Plaindealer. Topeka, Kansas. January 26, 1923. p. 4. Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
. - "Delegated Committee Picks All C.I.A.A. Eleven". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 22, 1923. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Wiley Wins Over Sam Huston". Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. October 24, 1925. p. 13. Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Claflin Turns Tables On Morris Brown, Win 12-3". Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. October 16, 1926. p. 15. Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Whirlwind Johnson Take Charge of Backfield And Ends At Atlanta University". Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 10, 1927. p. 17. Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Dr. Johnson, Aged 71, Dies". Lancaster New Era. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. July 2, 1971. p. 3. Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Heritage Sites & Organizations; Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Home and Tennis Court". The Virginia African American Heritage Program. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- Smith, Doug (August 2004). Whirlwind: The Godfather of Black Tennis: The Life and Times of Dr. Robert Walter Johnson. Blue Eagle Publishing. ISBN 0-9748111-0-6.
- Carter, Bob. "Ashe's impact reached far beyond the court". ESPN Classic. Retrieved June 30, 2007.
- McPhee, John (June 7, 1969). "Levels of the Game". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- "Tennis Promoter Johnson Dies". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. June 29, 1971. p. 14. Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Robert Johnson Virginia Sports Hall of Fame". The Library of Virginia. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ""Robert Walter Johnson Tennis Hall of Fame"". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- "Practice Information: Lynchburg--Walter Johnson Health Center". The University of Virginia Health System. Archived from the original on July 25, 2003. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- VSU Athletics (2008). "Second Annual Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Memorial Invitational" (.PDF). Virginia State University. Retrieved May 2, 2015.