Rafer Johnson, center, finishes the fourth 100-meter heat of the decathlon at the Olympics in Rome on Sept. 5, 1960. (Associated Press) July 23, 1960: Rafer Johnson demonstrates physical fitness to ...

The most difficult stories to write are those where there is too much to say. Such as, when the subject is Rafer Johnson. You also probably know his fame extended to lighting the Olympic torch on ...

Rafer Johnson, the famed Olympian who won gold and helped subdue Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin in 1968, died Wednesday at age 86. The former athlete — whose cause of death was not announced — died at ...

Those who knew Rafer Johnson tell their stories in sympathetic tones to those who didn’t, as if it were the lost opportunity of a lifetime. Johnson was the 1960 Olympic champion in the decathlon. When ...

Rafer Johnson’s body had grown weak but his spirit was undimmed the last time he attended a Special Olympics breakfast at Long Beach State. That was a year ago — or maybe two years, Tai Babilonia ...

I never saw Rafer Johnson throw a javelin or clear a high hurdle in the Olympic Games, but I saw him hold a special needs child in his arms, and dry the tears of a young boy in the Special Olympics ...

Saturday, July 28, 1984, date of the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, was a huge day in the history of sports. It transcended athletics. In the next day’s Los Angeles Times, under a ...

Rafer Johnson won gold at the 1960 Olympics and tackled the killer of then-presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1968 Jason Hahn is a former Human Interest and Sports Reporter for PEOPLE. He ...

Why are we asking for donations? Why are we asking for donations? This site is free thanks to our community of supporters. Voluntary donations from readers like you keep our news accessible for ...