A native of Texas, Rafer Johnson was born in Hillsboro on August 18, 1934, and moved to California when he was in middle school. The family settled near Fresno in Kingsburg, where Rafer was an excellent athlete in football, baseball, basketball and track.
One of the greatest all-around track and field athletes in history, Rafer Johnson competed equally well in several events while a student at UCLA, where he also played basketball under legendary coach John Wooden, and quite naturally made his mark in the decathlon.