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Former Olympic downhill champ Bill Johnson dies at 55 Bill Johnson, brash Olympic downhill champion, dies at 55
(about 5 hours later)
KITZBUEHEL, Austria — Bill Johnson, the brash American who became the first U.S. skier to win an Olympic downhill title, died after a long illness, the U.S. ski team said Friday. He was 55. Bill Johnson craved speed — the faster, the better. He stole cars as a kid, got in trouble for it and was ordered by a judge to make a choice: Ski school or jail.
Megan Harrod, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Alpine team, said Johnson died Thursday at an assisted living facility in Gresham, Oregon. Johnson picked the slopes and wound up taking the sport by storm.
Johnson’s health had been on the decline for several years after a series of strokes. The brash skier had movie-star looks and a personality to match. He won over legions of fans by backing up his braggadocio and becoming the first American to capture the Olympic downhill title. Johnson died after a long illness, the U.S. ski team said Friday from Kitzbuehel, Austria. He was 55.
Johnson won the downhill at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, the first American to capture gold in Alpine skiing’s marquee event. He was also the first American male to win an Olympic gold in any Alpine event. He died Thursday at an assisted living facility in Gresham, Oregon, where he has been staying since a major stroke a few years ago steadily took away the use of most of his body.
He became an iconic figure to many Americans by predicting he would win Olympic gold. The daredevil skier lived life on the edge, with a swagger and a rebellious attitude that instantly made him a favorite among fans. So sure of himself on the slopes, Johnson won Olympic gold at the 1984 Sarajevo Games after telling everyone he was going to do so.
“They related to Billy — that brash, throw-it-in-your-face type attitude,” Phil Mahre, who won the Olympic slalom in 1984, said in 2012. “When you tell people you’re going to go do something and then you go out and back it up like in Sarajevo, it’s pretty impressive.” He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated after that victory, a shot of him flying through the air in a perfect tuck position, his gaze intently focused down the race course, and the caption reading, “Flat out for Glory.”
Johnson tried to make a comeback ahead of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics at the age of 40, but crashed in a downhill training run in 2001 at the U.S. championships at The Big Mountain near Whitefish, Montana. He sustained a traumatic brain injury that erased nearly a decade of memories. He had to learn how to walk, talk and eat again. That’s the way Johnson attacked a mountain — the Bode Miller of skiing long before Miller. Johnson had a tattoo on his arm that read, “Ski to die.”
Johnson made steady improvement over the years, even returning to the slopes for recreation. But his health deteriorated again because of strokes, and he spent his last years in the assisted living center near Portland. “Bill Johnson was cut from a different cloth,” American ski great Phil Mahre said in a statement. “Billy was a fighter and went about things his way. That toughness allowed him to reach heights in the skiing world that few will ever accomplish.”
“Bill was an unbelievable fighter since his injury. He went through a lot. It’s sad,” Olympic super-G silver medalist Andrew Weibrecht said Friday. “He was the guy that really jump-started American downhill racing. Nothing had really happened much up until ‘84 when Bill came and had that fantastic run in Sarajevo and that same year he won Wengen.” Four-time overall World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn echoed that thought.
“He really paved the way for guys like Tommy Moe, A.J. Kitt and Kyle Rasmussen to realize that it’s possible. In turn these guys paved the way for our generation,” Weibrecht said after finishing second in a World Cup super-G in Kitzbuehel. “He was an incredible legend in our sport so I just hope he rests in peace and my condolences to his family,” Vonn said.
Weibrecht’s teammate Steven Nyman also paid tribute to Johnson. In 2001, Johnson attempted to recapture his glory days and made a comeback at the U.S. championships at age 40, hoping to earn a spot on the squad for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. But Johnson wiped out during a practice run, suffering a traumatic brain injury that erased nearly a decade of memories. He also had to relearn how to walk, talk and eat again.
“He didn’t care what anyone said, he did it his way. And he did really good,” Nyman said. “There was a couple of years where he was really good and he kind of paved the way for us. For some reason, Americans have done well in Olympic downhills, with him, Bode (Miller) and Tommy Moe. Hopefully I can follow in his tracks.” Over the years, he gradually improved and even returned to the slopes on a recreational basis. Then, in June 2010, Johnson had a stroke. Little by little his body weakened, leaving him with only the use of his left hand. That was his steering hand, the one he used to race his motorized chair down the hallways at the care facility, so fast that nurses had to tell him to slow down.
Nyman, who met Johnson a few times, recalled how he and teammate Marco Sullivan sent Johnson a short video to congratulate him on his birthday last spring. Johnson on the slopes was something to behold, paving the way for racers like Tommy Moe, A.J. Kitt, Daron Rahlves and, of course, Miller.
“He sent us a message back and really appreciated it. It meant something,” Nyman said. “He loved the downhill,” Johnson’s mother, D.B. Johnson-Cooper, once said in an interview. “That was his life. That’s the reason he went back (in 2001). He was going to try to do it again. He could’ve done it.”
“It’s really sad,” Lindsey Vonn, winner of the 2010 women’s Olympic downhill title, said Friday. “He’s had a rough couple of years and it’s been sad to watch him deteriorate like that. But you know when you’re in a state like that I think it’s a blessing sometimes. He was an incredible legend in our sport so I just hope he rests in peace and my condolences to his family.” As a teenager, Johnson had a wild streak that had him careening down the wrong path. Caught stealing cars, the judge gave him a choice: Take up skiing or off to jail.
Johnson, who was born in Los Angeles, grew up racing at Bogus Basin, Idaho, and Mt. Hood, Oregon. Johnson attended Mission Ridge Ski Academy in Washington, where he discovered he had plenty of potential, winning a Europa Cup crown.
Caught stealing cars as a teenager, the judge gave him a choice: Attend ski school or head to jail. So he went to Mission Ridge Ski Academy in Washington, where he developed his talent. He made his first World Cup start in February 1983, taking sixth at a downhill in St. Anton, Austria. A year later in Wengen, Switzerland, he captured his first big-league race.
Johnson established himself on the global scene when he won the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen, Switzerland, in 1984 in his second year on the World Cup circuit. Despite his short time on the circuit, Johnson was one of the favorites heading into the 1984 Olympics — and he let everyone know it. That was simply his style and it got under the skin of European skiers.
A month later, Johnson went to Sarajevo and cockily predicted that he would win, annoying his European rivals. He came through, beating silver medalist Peter Mueller of Switzerland by 0.27 seconds. On his downhill run that day in Sarajevo, Johnson was virtually flawless as he held off the Austrians and Swiss.
“What he did that day was amazing at the time,” said Bill Marolt, former president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. “In retrospect, it’s still amazing.” The win in Sarajevo was the summit of his success. He won twice more that season, but wouldn’t step on the World Cup podium again.
Johnson won twice more on the World Cup circuit in 1984 in Aspen and Whistler, but never stepped on the podium again. He went through knee and back injuries that curtailed his career and prevented him from defending his title at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. When he finished his career, Johnson’s life began to unravel. He lost his first son, Ryan, at around 13 months in a hot tub accident and went through a divorce a few years later. He wasn’t sure what to do next — skiing was his passion.
“He was just a legend,” American speed racer Travis Ganong said. “He used to be a pioneer for American downhill skiing. ... He was an amazing skier and was a legend of the sport. He will be dearly missed for sure.” So he made a return.
Vonn and Tommy Moe are the only other American skiers to win Olympic gold in downhill. At the U.S. championships near Whitefish, Montana, Johnson was speeding down the course at close to 60 mph when he entered a twisting section. He lost his balance, did the splits and slammed face first into the snow, biting off a chunk of his tongue as he flew through two sets of safety netting.
Vonn, who was competing in downhill training Friday ahead of a World Cup race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, said Johnson was a trailblazer for American downhillers. He needed a breathing tube at the mountain and then was quickly transported to a hospital by helicopter.
“He was definitely a pioneer — first American to win an Olympic downhill gold medal,” Vonn said. “So for sure, an inspiration and for Americans definitely a legend in the sport.” For three years after the accident, Johnson stayed with his mom as he recovered. Then, he moved into a trailer home to regain some independence.
In January 2008, he slowly started losing the use of his right side. He was having mini strokes, the doctors eventually concluded.
Then he had an even more debilitating stroke, all but immobilizing him. He spent most of his time confined to his wheelchair or his bed, playing video games or watching game shows.
The good days, he whispered over the phone in an interview with The Associated Press in 2012, were when his sons, Nick and Tyler, stopped by for visits. That always brightened his day, his mother said.
Asked in that interview what he wanted people to remember most about Bill Johnson, he was quiet on the phone for a moment before saying in a soft voice, “Best American skier.”
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AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, contributed to this report. AP Sports Writer Pat Graham reported from Denver; Eric Willemsen from Kitzbuehel, Austria; and AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf from Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.