Dave Johnson (athlete)
Encyclopedia
David Allen Johnson (born April 7, 1963) is a former Olympic decathlete
from the United States
. A native of North Dakota
, he grew up in Montana
and Oregon
. He was part of Reebok's "Dan & Dave
" advertising campaign leading up to the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona, Spain, where he won a bronze medal in the decathlon. After retiring from competitive athletics he became a school teacher and administrator, and as of 2009 is the athletic director
of Corban University in Salem, Oregon
.
. As a child he attended C. S. Porter Elementary School and later attended Sentinel and Big Sky High School. Johnson's family moved to Corvallis, Oregon
, in 1980, and he attended Crescent Valley High School
, graduating in 1981. 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 with Osgood-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 a Kiwanis
basketball
team for two years. In elementary school he played organized Little League
baseball
and had some familiarity with boxing
.
he started to compete in the decathlon
- at 6'4", 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 bachelors degree in psychology, and later earned a masters degree in 2003 from the school in special education. After several years he was generally acknowledged as the best decathlete to date. At this time Dan 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 ever at 2nd day events. Johnson was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team.
For the 1992 Summer Olympics
Games the team of "Dan & Dave
" was promoted as the real competition in the games and the question of who would take first and who would come in 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 for him, Johnson experienced a stress fracture in his left foot on the first day of events. He put on a shoe two sizes larger, laced it up tight, and competed anyway and won the bronze medal. Johnson's endorsement career continued for at least another year after the Barcelona Olympic Games and included Oakley Sunglasses, Pert Shampoo, Ryder Trucks, and Reebok shoes among others.
. He also wrote the book "Aim High - An Olympic Decathlete's Inspiring Story" with Verne Becker. Until 2006, Johnson worked at Jefferson High School as a special education instructor and assistant principal in Jefferson, Oregon
. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in 2005, entering with fellow decathlon competitor Dan O'Brien
. He also has a wife and four children. For a couple years in the early 2000s he taught at West Albany High School
in Albany, Oregon
. Johnson then became the athletic director at South Salem High School
to the north in Salem
. In June 2009, he was named as the athletic director of Corban University, a small private college in Salem.
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A native of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, he grew up in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He was part of Reebok's "Dan & Dave
Dan & Dave
Dan & Dave was an advertising and merchandising campaign by American shoe manufacturer Reebok during the build-up to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The promotion was meant to generate excitement and support for the Olympic competition between American decathletes Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson...
" advertising campaign leading up to the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona, Spain, where he won a bronze medal in the decathlon. After retiring from competitive athletics he became a school teacher and administrator, and as of 2009 is the athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
of Corban University in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
.
Early life
Dave Johnson was born on April 7, 1963, in North Dakota and grew up in Missoula, MontanaMissoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
. As a child he attended C. S. Porter Elementary School and later attended Sentinel and Big Sky High School. Johnson's family moved to Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, in 1980, and he attended Crescent Valley High School
Crescent Valley High School
Crescent Valley High School, known as CV, is a public high school in Corvallis, Oregon.-Academics:Courses are sometimes shared with Corvallis High School. Students taking courses at the partner school ride an approximately 15 minute bus to attend shared classes...
, graduating in 1981. 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 with Osgood-Schlatter disease
Osgood-Schlatter disease
Osgood–Schlatter disease and or syndrome is an irritation of the patellar tendon at the tibial tuberosity....
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 a Kiwanis
Kiwanis
Kiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team for two years. In elementary school he played organized Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and had some familiarity with boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
.
Athletics
Even as a child Johnson was exceptionally fit and coordinated and lifted weights from a young age. In college at Azusa Pacific UniversityAzusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...
he started to compete in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
- at 6'4", 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 bachelors degree in psychology, and later earned a masters degree in 2003 from the school in special education. After several years he was generally acknowledged as the best decathlete to date. At this time Dan O'Brien
Dan O'Brien
Daniel Dion O'Brien is a former American decathlete. He was deemed one of the best decathlon athletes of the 1990s, winning an Olympic gold medal after winning three consecutive world titles....
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 ever at 2nd day events. Johnson was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team.
For the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
Games the team of "Dan & Dave
Dan & Dave
Dan & Dave was an advertising and merchandising campaign by American shoe manufacturer Reebok during the build-up to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The promotion was meant to generate excitement and support for the Olympic competition between American decathletes Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson...
" was promoted as the real competition in the games and the question of who would take first and who would come in 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 for him, Johnson experienced a stress fracture in his left foot on the first day of events. He put on a shoe two sizes larger, laced it up tight, and competed anyway and won the bronze medal. Johnson's endorsement career continued for at least another year after the Barcelona Olympic Games and included Oakley Sunglasses, Pert Shampoo, Ryder Trucks, and Reebok shoes among others.
Later life
Johnson later retired from competition and became a motivational speakerMotivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
. He also wrote the book "Aim High - An Olympic Decathlete's Inspiring Story" with Verne Becker. Until 2006, Johnson worked at Jefferson High School as a special education instructor and assistant principal in Jefferson, Oregon
Jefferson, Oregon
Jefferson is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,487 at the 2000 census...
. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
in 2005, entering with fellow decathlon competitor Dan O'Brien
Dan O'Brien
Daniel Dion O'Brien is a former American decathlete. He was deemed one of the best decathlon athletes of the 1990s, winning an Olympic gold medal after winning three consecutive world titles....
. He also has a wife and four children. For a couple years in the early 2000s he taught at West Albany High School
West Albany High School
West Albany High School is a public high school in Albany, Oregon, United States.West Albany High School was formerly named Albany Union High School prior to the completion of South Albany High School in 1972.-Academics:...
in Albany, Oregon
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
. Johnson then became the athletic director at South Salem High School
South Salem High School
South Salem High School was the second public high school built in Salem, Oregon, in 1954, at which time the former Salem High School was renamed North Salem High School.-History:...
to the north in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. In June 2009, he was named as the athletic director of Corban University, a small private college in Salem.
Career statistics
- PR: 8727 points
- Broke American record
- 1989: 8549 points
- Olympic bronze medal, 1992
- 8309 points
- Olympic 9th place finish, 1988
- 8180 points
- U.S. national champion
- 1986: 8203w
- 1989: 8549
- 1990: 8600w
- 1992: 8649
- World University Games champion, 1989
- 8216 points