Bill Johnson (skier)
The brash American downhill skier who shocked the Alpine world by winning Olympic gold and declaring, 'Everyone else is for second place.'
1960–2016 (age 56)·American alpine skier·Birthday: March 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bill Johnson was a force of nature from the Pacific Northwest who bulldozed his way into European-dominated alpine skiing. Known for his fearless, aerodynamic tuck and unshakable confidence, he was a late bloomer on the U.S. Ski Team. His prediction of victory at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics was dismissed as arrogance, but he backed it up, slicing down the Bjelašnica course to become the first American man to win Olympic alpine gold. The win ignited American interest in ski racing and broke the mystique of the Alpine nations. Johnson's career was a comet—bright and brief. Injuries and a tragic 2001 training crash that resulted in a severe brain injury curtailed his time at the top, but his Olympic moment remains a landmark in U.S. winter sports history.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bill was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2016Died at 56
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Won the downhill gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, the first American male to do so in alpine skiing.
- Became the first non-Alpine nation skier to win an Olympic downhill race.
- Won three World Cup downhill races during the 1984 season.
- Finished the 1984 World Cup season ranked third overall in the downhill discipline.
Did You Know?
Before his Olympic win, he famously told reporters, 'Everyone else is for second place.'
He initially learned to ski on the slopes of Mount Hood in Oregon.
After his skiing career, he attempted a comeback as a NASCAR driver but did not qualify for any races.
The severe brain injury from his 2001 crash required years of rehabilitation and left him with lasting impairments.
“Everyone else is for second place.”
