Dennis Johnson (athlete)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
6 May 1939 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 161 lb (73 kg) |
| Sport | |
| College team | San Jose State Spartans |
Dennis Johnson (born 6 May 1939) is a former Jamaican sprinter who equalled the world record, 9.3 seconds, for the 100-yard dash in 1961. Johnson later became a coach and advisor, and the architect of the Jamaican athletics programme.
Born in Jamaica in 1939, Johnson travelled to the United States for his college education. He studied at San Jose State College, where he was coached by the legendary sprints coach Bud Winter and was a member of the San Jose State Spartans track team.
In 1959, he won a bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games in the 4 × 100 m relay as a member of a combined West Indies Federation team.
In 1961, within a six-week period, he equalled the then world record for the 100 yards three times at 9.3 s:
(He also equalled the same time on 1 April at Stanford in a university meet but the lack of a wind gauge meant the time could not be ratified as a world record.)
His season was shortened by injury, and he could not compete for the United States collegiate and national championship titles.
In 1962, he was one of the favourites for the 100 and 220 yards titles at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games but he ended up finishing fifth in the 110 yards and withdrew from the 220 yards event because of a groin injury.
In 1964, at the Tokyo Olympics he finished 4th in the 4 × 100 m relay as a member of the Jamaican team.
After leaving college, Johnson went into a career in sports development and was to become renowned as the architect of Jamaica's subsequent track and field success.
Johnson's dream on leaving San Jose State University was to take what he'd learnt there and develop, for the first time, a US-style college athletic program in Jamaica. Johnson's inspiration was the legendary San Jose sprints coach, Bud Winter - "'Bud' Winter was a master coach. I decided to come back home and bring his methodology to training sprinters in Jamaica", Johnson has stated.
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