Philip Anthony Johnson (born November 16, 1940) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

. He competed in

coxless pair A coxless pair, abbreviated as a 2- and also known as a straight pair, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars. The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each ...

s at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics and won a silver medal in 1968. Johnson was born in

Arlington, VA Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

, and began his rowing career under the legendary Charlie Butt at

Washington-Lee High School Washington-Liberty High School, formerly known as Washington-Lee High School, is a public high school in the Arlington Public Schools district in Arlington, Virginia, covering grades 9–12. Its attendance area serves the central third of Ar ...

, where he was in the class of 1958. With Washington-Lee, he was on the first American

public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

crew to row at

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

in England in 1958. He continued to row at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

and the

Potomac Boat Club The Potomac Boat Club is a rowing club on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. It was established in , originally as the Potomac Barge Club. The club provides a rowing hub for around 300 senior members, ranging in ability from recreational rowers ...

. At the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

, he placed tenth in the pair together with James Edmonds. His breakthrough came in 1967, when, together with

Larry Hough Lawrence Alan Hough (born April 4, 1944) is a retired American rower. He competed in coxless pairs at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and won a silver medal in 1968. After graduating from Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, ...

, he won the Pan American Games, the National Championship, the North American Championship, and the European Championship. Next year they placed second at the 1968 Olympics, and in 1969 won another European title. Johnson graduated from

, and in 1972 served as an assistant U.S. Olympic rowing coach; he later prepared the national team to the 1975 and 1985 world championships. From 1989 to 2014 he directed the rowing program at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. After the 2013–2014 season, Johnson was appointed Coach Emeritus. He first coached the Georgetown crew from 1967 to 1969 before moving to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

for 20 years. In developing the sport of rowing at Georgetown, Johnson oversaw significant growth of the program starting as the only full-time coach in 1989 to overseeing a team of eight coaching staff with four varsity and four novice teams. Georgetown competes both as a member of the

Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges The Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) is a college athletic conference of fifteen men's college rowing crews. It is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Members Fifteen colleges and universities are membe ...

and in the

Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges The Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC) is a college athletic conference of eighteen women's college rowing crew teams. The conference is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Members :See footnot ...

. Johnson returned to Georgetown in 2022 to coach the men's heavyweight squad.

References

1940 births Living people Sportspeople from Washington, D.C. Rowers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in rowing American male rowers European Rowing Championships medalists Rowers at the 1967 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in rowing Washington-Liberty High School alumni Georgetown Hoyas rowing coaches Syracuse Orange rowers 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-rowing-Olympic-medalist-stub