Robert Walter Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1899-04-16)16 April 1899 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | 28 June 1971(1971-06-28) (aged 72) Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) Meharry Medical College |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Internal medicine,sports medicine |
| Institutions | Lynchburg General Hospital |
Robert Walter "Whirlwind"Johnson (April 16, 1899 – June 28, 1971) was an Americanphysician,college football player and coach, and founder of the American Tennis Association Junior Development Program forAfrican-American youths, where he coached and fostered the careers ofArthur Ashe andAlthea Gibson.[1]
Johnson graduated in 1924 fromLincoln University, ahistorically black college inPennsylvania. He was a classmate ofMelvin B. Tolson. Johnson playedcollege football as ahalfback at Lincoln and was captain of the1923 Lincoln Lions football team, which won ablack 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 asVirginia University of Lynchburg–in 1924,Samuel Huston College inAustin, Texas in 1925, andMorris Brown College inAtlanta in 1926.[4][5] In 1927 he was assistant football coach atAtlanta University in charge of the backfield and ends under head football coachChief Aiken. Johnson was the manager of Aiken and Faulkner Rent Department at the time.[6][7]
Johnson was the firstAfrican-American physician to receive practice rights atLynchburg General Hospital inVirginia.[8] Johnson continued his medical practice in Lynchburg for his entire 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 bothAlthea Gibson andArthur Ashe, whom he coached.[10][11]
Johnson died on June 28, 1971, at a hospital inLynchburg, Virginia, following a seven-month-long illness.[12]
| 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: | |||||||||
......| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
