Gonzaga University Athletics

Johnson earned a degree in engineering from Gonzaga University and considered seeking a second in education, but the baseball diamond was to be his classroom. Johnson, a standout high school athlete in Butte, Mont., played four varsity baseball seasons at Gonzaga and was team captain as a senior in 1951. He was a consistent hitter with power and was a favorite with Coach Dick Busch for his hustle and desire to improve. But spring baseball wasn’t enough, so he played semi-pro ball during his college years. Johnson broke into professional baseball with Spokane in the Western International League in 1951 and, after a 1954-55 Army service, began a long association with the Philadelphia Phillies as a player, manager, and executive. In the mid-1980s Johnson joined the Toronto Blue Jays as a special assignment scout. He was inducted into the Butte’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.