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| Full name | David Allen Johnson |
| Born | April 7, 1963 (1963-04-07) (age 62) Missoula, Montana, U.S. |
David Allen Johnson (born April 7, 1963) is a former Olympicdecathlete from theUnited States. A native ofMontana, he grew up inMissoula andCorvallis, Oregon. He was part of Reebok's "Dan & Dave" advertising campaign, with fellow decathleteDan O'Brien, leading up to the1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona, Spain, where he won a bronze medal in the decathlon. After retiring from competitive athletics he became a school teacher and administrator, serving asathletic director ofCorban University inSalem, Oregon starting in 2009. Johnson accepted a position as Director with theFellowship of Christian Athletes Oregon in June 2012. On November 14, 2012, Johnson resigned from Corban to devote more time to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.[1] He now coaches pole vault & hurdles atSouth Salem High School.[citation needed]
David Johnson was born inMissoula, Montana. As a child he attended C. S. Porter Elementary School and later attended Sentinel and would have graduated from Big Sky High School.[2] Johnson's family moved toCorvallis, Oregon, in 1980, and he attendedCrescent Valley High School,[3] graduating in 1981.[4] He was involved in a series of petty thefts as a teenager, primarily stealing soda pop and beer from local distributors with an assortment of childhood friends until one of them was caught and informed on the rest. He later detailed his experiences to reporters prior to the Barcelona Olympic games and used the material for his book and speaking tour as an example on how to turn one's life around.
During adolescence Johnson was afflicted withOsgood-Schlatter disease in both knees that kept him from participating in high school sports for the most part. During his junior high years he excelled in track, touch football and was on aKiwanisbasketball team for two years. In elementary school he played organizedLittle Leaguebaseball and had some familiarity withboxing.
Even as a child Johnson was naturally fit and coordinated from neighborhood activities. He first tried football and track his senior year in high school. He played college football atAzusa Pacific University as asafety in 1982 and 1983.[5][6] At Azusa he started to compete in thedecathlon – at 6 ft2+1⁄2 in (189.2 cm),[7] he put his innate abilities and his constant physical training to use and began setting records. He graduated from the school in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, and later earned a master's degree in 2003 from the school in special education.[3] After several years he was generally acknowledged as the best decathlete to date.[citation needed] At this timeDan O'Brien appeared on the scene and began to provide Dave with his first real competition. O'Brien and Johnson became good friends and consistently placed first and second in most events. O'Brien eventually began to be considered the best overall decathlete, but Johnson earned the recognition as the best at 2nd day events. Johnson was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team.[4]
For the1992 Summer Olympics the team of "Dan & Dave" was promoted as the inevitable winners in the decathlon and the question of who would take first and who would be second was widely debated. Dan failed to qualify for the team when he no-heighted on the pole vault, leaving Dave as the presumed gold medal winner. Unfortunately, Johnson experienced astress fracture in his left foot on the first day of events. He put on a shoe two sizes larger, laced it up tight, competed anyway and won the bronze medal.[4] Johnson's endorsement career continued for at least a year after the Barcelona Olympic Games and included Oakley sunglasses, Pert shampoo, Ryder trucks, and Reebok shoes.
Information fromWorld Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
| Event | Performance | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 meters | 1:51.69 | Blacksburg | February 23, 2002 |
| Event | Performance | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 meters | 1:51.14 | Tallahassee | May 11, 2002 |
| 400 meters hurdles | 50.99 | Pomona | May 10, 1986 |
| Discus throw | 50.40 m (165 ft4+1⁄4 in) | Long Beach | February 17, 1996 |
| Javelin throw | 74.94 m (245 ft10+1⁄4 in) | Air Force Academy | July 30, 1995 |
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decathlon | — | Azusa | April 23–24, 1992 | 8,705 points |
| 100 meters | 10.36 (+0.9 m/s) | Azusa | June 21, 1996 | 1,008 points |
| Long jump | 7.33 m (24 ft1⁄2 in) (+0.0 m/s) | Barcelona | August 5, 1992 | 893 points |
| 7.52 m (24 ft 8 in) (+4.5 m/s) | Azusa | April 23, 1992 | — | |
| Shot put | 15.28 m (50 ft1+1⁄2 in) | Barcelona | August 5, 1993 | 807 points |
| High jump | 2.04 m (6 ft8+1⁄4 in) | Azusa | April 23, 1992 | 840 points |
| 400 meters | 48.19 | Azusa | April 23, 1992 | 900 points |
| 110 meters hurdles | 14.17 (+0.3 m/s) | Azusa | April 24, 1992 | 953 points |
| Discus throw | 49.88 m (163 ft7+3⁄4 in) | Azusa | April 24, 1992 | 868 points |
| Pole vault | 5.28 m (17 ft3+3⁄4 in) | Azusa | April 24, 1992 | 998 points |
| Javelin throw | 68.08 m (223 ft4+1⁄4 in) | Tokyo | August 30, 1991 | 860 points |
| 1500 meters | 4:29.38 | Azusa | April 24, 1992 | 749 points |
| Virtual Best Performance | 8,876 points | |||
Johnson later retired from competition and became amotivational speaker as he finished a master's degree in Special Education. He also wrote the book "Aim High – An Olympic Decathlete's Inspiring Story" with Verne Becker.[3] Until 2006, Johnson worked at Jefferson High School as a special education instructor and assistant principal inJefferson, Oregon.[4] He was inducted into theOregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, entering with fellow decathlon competitorDan O'Brien.[8][9] He also has a wife and four children.[3] For a couple years in the early 2000s he taught atWest Albany High School inAlbany, Oregon.[10] Johnson then became the athletic director atSouth Salem High School to the north inSalem.[3] In June 2009, he was named as the athletic director ofCorban University, a small private college in Salem.[3] He resigned from the position in December 2012 to pursue a ministry position with FCA.[1] Johnson accepted a position with theFellowship of Christian Athletes Oregon in 2013 and is a volunteer and consultant coach with South Salem High School, Corban, Salem Track Club, and Oregon State University.
In June 2017 Johnson and Dan O'Brien were the subjects of (and participants in) the ESPN Radio 30 for 30 podcast "The Trials of Dave and Dan" about the famous ad campaign and its aftermath.[11]
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