Brooks Thomas Johnson was born on February 28, 1934, in Pahokee, Florida. He was the child of Dorothy Moore Fontes and Henry Johnson. He had two siblings, an older brother, William Monroe (Pat) Small, Jr. and a younger sister, Ellen (Helen) Johnson Berry, both of whom are deceased.
Brooks was married to Elizabeth (Betsy) Riccardi in November of 1995. They are the proud parents of two wonderful sons: Brooks Riccardi Johnson and Cole L. Johnson.
Brooks loved growing up in the idyllic multicultural town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and enjoyed many lifelong friendships as a result. He took pleasure in attending, and hosting, annual class reunions in his and Elizabeth’s home in Orlando, Fl.
After graduating from Plymouth HS, where he was the Student Class President, and an all-star in football, basketball, and track, he attended Tufts University. At Tufts, he was a TraveliScholar and studied Political Science. He also competed on the football and track teams equaling the NCAA Indoor 60 yard record. After graduating from Tufts in 1956, he attended the University of Chicago School of Law and the School of Business.
In 1960, Brooks equaled the indoor 60 yard world record. He was a member of several national teams, including the Pan American team where his sprint relay set a new world record. In 1960, he had his first Olympian, Willie May, silver medalist in the 110m hurdles in Rome. In 1964, he qualified for the US Olympic Trials in the 100 and 220 yards.
Brooks studied African Studies at Northwestern University and at the School of Public Administration at American University. While in Washington, D.C., he worked for the Government Affairs Institute at the State Department. During this time, he met with Headmaster Canon Charles Martin of St. Alban’s Episcopal School for boys to discuss the lack of racial diversity at the school. Canon Martin asked Brooks, “What is your solution to this problem?” Friends told Brooks that he was the solution! Canon Martin hired Brooks to teach and coach. He taught History, Philosophy , and Anthropology while coaching football, basketball and track & field. It was at St. Alban’s that Brooks founded the RISK program, for “students from traditionally under-represented backgrounds”. Of all of Brooks’ accomplishments in his life, this program was probably what Brooks took the most pride in.
At that time, he also founded the highly successful track & fieldclub team called Sports International and Youth for Development. These teams won five national championships and shattered eight world records. Eleven athletes from that team qualified for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.
In 1976, Brooks was named Assistant Coach for the USA Track & Field Olympic team that would compete in Montreal, Canada. That year, he was also named Assistant Football Coach at the University of Florida. After leaving UF, he coached at Santa Fe Community College where 20 of his athletes were All-Americans and 13 won national championships.
In 1979, Brooks took the position of Director of Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country at Stanford University and worked there for 13 years. During that time, in 1984, Brooks was named the Head Olympic Track & Field Coach for the USA, held in Los Angeles, CA. Many of the Stanford athletes earned All-American honors, won National Championships and earned berths on the Olympic Team.
In 1992, Brooks was named the Men’s Coach at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Four years later, the family moved to Orlando as Brooks was hired to help develop the athletic program at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.
He was named the Relays Coach for the USA in 2004 and 2008. He continued coaching elite and developing athletes and mentoring coaches from around the globe up until his last days,even hosting PACA (Podium Athlete Coaches Association) coaches calls weekly on Zoom.
In all, Brooks has coached over 100 Olympians and many World Record Holders, national champions and All-Americans. He has coached an Olympian in every event in Track & Field and has been a member of the coaching staff at 4 different Olympics (1976, 1984, 2004, 2008). In 1997, he was voted into the U.S. A. Track Coaches Hall of Fame. In 2010 he received the USA Track & Field Coach of the Year award, and was the recipient of the coaching Legends Award in 2018.
Of all that he had achieved in college athletics, he felt his “primary motivation was to help the student/athletes develop in every aspect of their lives”. He was a fierce fighter for civil rights and fought for increased salaries, opportunities, and representation for females, blacks and other minorities. He was noted as a “Title IX Titan” by many female coaches. He will be missed by so many. He would ask you to take what you learned from him and carry on. Pass the baton.
If you would like to send flowers, the best website is www.seasonsdesignstudio.com
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