I wanted to be Bill Johnson in 1984. Now I am 56, the same age at which he died, and skiing better than I have in my whole life. Life is so fragile and strange, that I can still be skiing, and one who was the best in the world, who I would have gladly switched places with back then-had to suffer for so many years from that horrific accident, and is no longer with us. Such a sad story and hardly a week goes by when I don’t think of his glorious achievement and sad demise. RIP Bill Johnson.
i was 13 also when he made this run. man, it was such an exciting moment to watch it happen on tv. It was such a big achievement. I havent seen this video since that night. I hope he's never forgotten.
7:37 Get that smile, the spirit that shines! I remember that race as if it were yesterday, and we're heart-broken by his long-suffering demise. But we still have that glorious day, and that radiant smile. Thanks, Bill! You were an inspiration to a 14-year old boy, and still are.
Well said. I was thinking along the same lines. I remember that Olympic race well, and will never forget him. Tragic ending for him, but he'll not be forgotten.
I did meet Bill Johnson today, September 30, 2014. I spoke to his Mother, who arranged for me to meet Bill, and I thank her so very much. She gave birth to my Hero, and I will remember our visit for the rest of my life!!!!
I was in Aspen during the Winternationals in 1984. One evening I turned a corner and there was Bill walking towards me with a great looking girl on each arm. That's the way I remember him!
A hero of mine as well. He walked the walk and delivered when he needed to. His Wengen downhill prior to the Olympics was quite possibly the most exciting race you will ever see. I can't find it w/the American sportscaster on YT, but it was simply amazing . RIP Bill
Awesome video.......This guy was pretty awesome....... amazing, even back then Americans were not consider good skiers...... not Johnson, he was James Dean on Ski's.
Growing up in the seventies, Ingemar Stenmark was my Idol, but Billy Johnson became my hero when he won the Olympic Gold medal. Where he lacked in skiing skills, he made up for in a fearless carefree attitude that kept him just on the edge of control. We Love you Billy Johnson!
Thank god for youtube. I haven't seen these races in 26 years. I was a big bill johnson fan growing up. His WC win in wengen the month before is the best race I have ever seen . It can be seen on here , but you need the american sportcasters commentary to get the full effect . I saw a recent story on him . it is sad to see what has happened . He deserves much more credit for what he accomplished . Good luck to you Bill and thanks for the memories.
Bill Johnson is my hero forever. I hope to meet him some day. I think he lives in Washington state or Oregon. Great character, his smile, his sense of humor, his teasing other skiers before races. I remember his Olympic gold medal run in Sarajevo 30 years ago. I was trying to ski like him, got silver in Breckenridge and Bear Valley in Nastar races, I don't know if they still have Nastar races. Robert Redford remind me of Bill in movie Downhill Racer. You have to see this movie. Thank you for posting.
His ski accident left him with permanent brain damage and declining physical health unfortunately. He still smiles big though. Breaks my heart, but he'll always be a hero in my book. I bought my Atomic Arc's, 200 cm's because of him, but I'm no Bill Johnson. I screamed and yelled at the t.v. when he won Gold at the winter olympics. That was a great day.
We don't see truly great stories like this in sports anymore. True, strong characters get politicked out along the way anymore. RIP Bill Johnson. A TRUE American legend.
Well said -- skiing these days is more of a "who's daddy will write the biggest check" contest rather than a race. Bill would've made it in any era, though.
@@bigusdickus6753 THIS!! This is what has been in the back of my mind, but I couldn't quite form the thought! I see the athletes today, and really I just see a bunch of spoiled kids whose parents could afford the most expensive training from a young age. Good kids and all, but come on now. it just seems fake to me.
It's not how or even when you die that matters, it's what you do when you're here on earth that counts. He was a thing of beauty on skis, with an in your face, devil may care attitude, when America and the Olympics were great. No one ever looked better in the air. I love Billy the kid.
That is an awesome story. Wish I knew him. I was just watching the Olympics and thinking about how true greatness probably doesn't even have a chance to make it to the Olympics anymore.
@@StudentLoanJustice I live in Crested Butte, Colorado, and I can tell ya. It’s a different world these days. The days of Johnson’s, klammers and mahres are gonzo.
@@thomasrudder9639 Lol. Yep. The passion is gone. I'm looking at the gold medal winner right now in figure skating. Again, he's a nice kid, but...he just talks like a robot.
The promo for "Wide World Of Sports" included a dual boxing meet between the U.S. and Cuba which was "a foreshadowing of what's to come in the Summer Olympics". But Cuba, along with most of the Eastern Block, never made it to Los Angeles, so Teofilio Stevenson never got his chance to three-peat. The three minute "Up Close and Personal" on Bill Johnson was one of the longest such features ABC ever did. By contrast, NBC often did five or six minute "Up Close and Personals" until 2000.
In that season he won not only the olympic downhill race but also 3 World Cup races, among them the one in Wengen. So, he must have been a good skier/racer
Steve Schritt- Bill was a renegade, a non conformist, ... a wild child if you will. Main Stream crowd doesn't support people like that. It was Bills personality and character that made him a fast downhill racer, not his skiing skills. A rare breed, ...We Love You Billy J.!
I won that medal from him in a game of pool we played in a house that I helped him build in Mt Crested Butte Colorado. Hahaa, he never paid up, but we sure had a blast back then.
Johnson's personal life suffered as well, when his 13-month-old son, Ryan, drowned in a hot tub in 1992. At age 40, his marriage ended in divorce, and he was bankrupt and living in his class A motorhome when he mounted an improbable comeback bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The comeback ended abruptly on March 22, 2001, when Johnson crashed horribly during a training run prior to the downhill race of the 2001 U.S. Alpine Championships, held at The Big Mountain near Whitefish, Montana.[28] He sustained serious injury to the left side of his brain, nearly bit off his tongue, and was comatose for three weeks.[29] In 2010, Johnson lived in Zigzag, near Mount Hood, and remained brain-damaged and in need of constant care, mostly from his mother. He became slightly more functional, though his speech and memory were permanently impaired.[30][31] Later in 2010 Johnson, who had suffered a series of mini-strokes over the course of the previous ten years, fell victim to a massive stroke and was moved to a long-term care facility in Gresham, Oregon. Due to the stroke, Johnson no longer has the ability to sit up unassisted and cannot use his right hand. He also lost sight in his left eye and further lost the ability to speak above a whisper. He also suffers great pain when swallowing, which makes feeding him difficult.[32] In June 2013, Johnson contracted an infection that nearly took his life. He was placed on life support while doctors worked to fight the infection. Johnson elected in July to remove himself from life support and refuse further treatment.[33] He has said that the next time something like this happens, his wishes are to be left alone so he can die.
I wanted to be Bill Johnson in 1984. Now I am 56, the same age at which he died, and skiing better than I have in my whole life. Life is so fragile and strange, that I can still be skiing, and one who was the best in the world, who I would have gladly switched places with back then-had to suffer for so many years from that horrific accident, and is no longer with us. Such a sad story and hardly a week goes by when I don’t think of his glorious achievement and sad demise. RIP Bill Johnson.
His run in 84 and Klammer's in 76 are two enduring memories I have of the Olympic downhill. Bill you made all of the US proud, RIP
You are right they were both phenomenal! I’ll bet not many of the new skiers today, have ever heard Franz’s name.
Rest in Peace, Bill Johnson. Winning the Downhill at the 1984 Olympics is one memory that I will never forget.
i was 13 also when he made this run. man, it was such an exciting moment to watch it happen on tv. It was such a big achievement. I havent seen this video since that night. I hope he's never forgotten.
7:37 Get that smile, the spirit that shines! I remember that race as if it were yesterday, and we're heart-broken by his long-suffering demise. But we still have that glorious day, and that radiant smile. Thanks, Bill! You were an inspiration to a 14-year old boy, and still are.
Well said. I was thinking along the same lines. I remember that Olympic race well, and will never forget him. Tragic ending for him, but he'll not be forgotten.
I did meet Bill Johnson today, September 30, 2014. I spoke to his Mother, who arranged for me to meet Bill, and I thank her so very much. She gave birth to my Hero, and I will remember our visit for the rest of my life!!!!
I was in Aspen during the Winternationals in 1984. One evening I turned a corner and there was Bill walking towards me with a great looking girl on each arm. That's the way I remember him!
One of the great moments in sports history.
Only the Miracle On Ice tops Bill Johnson as my favorite Olympic moment. Thank you for the beautiful memories, Bill. God bless.
A hero of mine as well.
He walked the walk and delivered when he needed to.
His Wengen downhill prior to the Olympics was quite possibly the most exciting race you will ever see. I can't find it w/the American sportscaster on YT, but it was simply amazing .
RIP Bill
RIP Bill..hope you are on an amazing downhill in heaven that never ever ends.
YES! He would love that!
Still thinking of bill rip
I remember it also. Johnson was great and it is sad to see how the U.S. ski industry has abandoned him. He deserves better.
I agree. It was shabby, indifferent treatment of a great Olympic downhiller.
Frank Gifford, Jim McKay, and Bill Johnson R.I.P
Awesome video.......This guy was pretty awesome....... amazing, even back then Americans were not consider good skiers...... not Johnson, he was James Dean on Ski's.
Growing up in the seventies, Ingemar Stenmark was my Idol, but Billy Johnson became my hero when he won the Olympic Gold medal. Where he lacked in skiing skills, he made up for in a fearless carefree attitude that kept him just on the edge of control. We Love you Billy Johnson!
I skied with Ingemar in Vail he could rip bumps too we all followed him
Like school children
Thank god for youtube. I haven't seen these races in 26 years. I was a big bill johnson fan growing up. His WC win in wengen the month before is the best race I have ever seen . It can be seen on here , but you need the american sportcasters commentary to get the full effect . I saw a recent story on him . it is sad to see what has happened . He deserves much more credit for what he accomplished . Good luck to you Bill and thanks for the memories.
I still get goose bumps when I watch this after all these years. RIP, Champ.
Thank you Billy!
Bill Johnson is my hero forever. I hope to meet him some day. I think he lives in Washington state or Oregon. Great character, his smile, his sense of humor, his teasing other skiers before races. I remember his Olympic gold medal run in Sarajevo 30 years ago. I was trying to ski like him, got silver in Breckenridge and Bear Valley in Nastar races, I don't know if they still have Nastar races. Robert Redford remind me of Bill in movie Downhill Racer. You have to see this movie. Thank you for posting.
His ski accident left him with permanent brain damage and declining physical health unfortunately. He still smiles big though.
Breaks my heart, but he'll always be a hero in my book. I bought my Atomic Arc's, 200 cm's because of him, but I'm no Bill Johnson.
I screamed and yelled at the t.v. when he won Gold at the winter olympics. That was a great day.
I've seen the movie a few times on TV off and on thru the years.What a great movie!!!
We don't see truly great stories like this in sports anymore. True, strong characters get politicked out along the way anymore. RIP Bill Johnson. A TRUE American legend.
Well said -- skiing these days is more of a "who's daddy will write the biggest check" contest rather than a race. Bill would've made it in any era, though.
@@bigusdickus6753 THIS!! This is what has been in the back of my mind, but I couldn't quite form the thought! I see the athletes today, and really I just see a bunch of spoiled kids whose parents could afford the most expensive training from a young age. Good kids and all, but come on now. it just seems fake to me.
INCREDIBLE!!!! I remember watching this, Very Impressive!
I still remember this run as a 10 year old. What a story!!
RIP Billy. You made us proud in 1984.
It's not how or even when you die that matters, it's what you do when you're here on earth that counts. He was a thing of beauty on skis, with an in your face, devil may care attitude, when America and the Olympics were great. No one ever looked better in the air. I love Billy the kid.
To this 15 year old in 1984, Bill Johnson was the coolest guy on the planet.
I was 10 years old watching this live on Tv Ljubljana (SLO national TV). Everybody here was happy he was able to beat the Austrian
Recently saw Bill on an old Johnny Carson show. So sad, but an American hero nonetheless. Amen brother Bill, God bless you in heaven. Bo
Bill and his father in law taught me how to build houses. Man, the memories. Thanks Bill and Dennis! RIP Bill.
That is an awesome story. Wish I knew him. I was just watching the Olympics and thinking about how true greatness probably doesn't even have a chance to make it to the Olympics anymore.
@@StudentLoanJustice I live in Crested Butte, Colorado, and I can tell ya. It’s a different world these days. The days of Johnson’s, klammers and mahres are gonzo.
@@thomasrudder9639 SMH. Yep. I'd like to think we'll see some bright sparks rise above the fray from time to time, but haven't seen it in decades...
@@StudentLoanJustice nobody cares anymore
@@thomasrudder9639 Lol. Yep. The passion is gone. I'm looking at the gold medal winner right now in figure skating. Again, he's a nice kid, but...he just talks like a robot.
You stopped my heart at Wengen. You gave me chills at Sarajevo. Immortality is yours. RIP
RIP Bill Johnson - Amazing skier
Great moment I was 14. Time stood still.
Awesome downhill! Man could he fly. Makes you want to hit the slopes again.
The promo for "Wide World Of Sports" included a dual boxing meet between the U.S. and Cuba which was "a foreshadowing of what's to come in the Summer Olympics".
But Cuba, along with most of the Eastern Block, never made it to Los Angeles, so Teofilio Stevenson never got his chance to three-peat.
The three minute "Up Close and Personal" on Bill Johnson was one of the longest such features ABC ever did.
By contrast, NBC often did five or six minute "Up Close and Personals" until 2000.
Reading his wikipedia page comes close to being the saddest thing in the world.
Remember it well watched it in Sundance Saloon Vail RIP Bill
Same commentator as the Franz Klammer 1976 run!
In that season he won not only the olympic downhill race but also 3 World Cup races, among them the one in Wengen. So, he must have been a good skier/racer
RIP. One of my heroes.
all hail the king ..miss you bill ..R.I.P.
This is a great video; fascinating
Bill, I would bet you have NO regrets in life! RIP!
The racers say Wengen IS the most demanding, due mostly to it's length, while Kitz is the scariest.
legend.
Sarajevo, Bjelasnica...just amazing!
We Love You Bill !!
Rest in Peace
Steve, Bill Johnson lost just about all he's endorsements with his mouth. He was a great SKIER.
All the greatest die broke!
All hail Bill Johnson!
Bill Johnson peaked at the right time. He had won the Wengen downhill a few weeks before
Check out the new film trailer on youtube about Bill Johnson's rise and fall. The movie is called "Downhill" Johnson is a legend!!
bill johnson. a true american.
Frank Gifford R.I.P.
I remember this so well, the guy was awesome. Still can't figure out why he didn't get any endorsements
Steve Schritt- Bill was a renegade, a non conformist, ... a wild child if you will. Main Stream crowd doesn't support people like that. It was Bills personality and character that made him a fast downhill racer, not his skiing skills. A rare breed, ...We Love You Billy J.!
R.I.P big BILL JOHNSON....YOUGOSLAVIE
R.I.P. Bill Johnson, you've done your country proud.
Awesome, Billy!
LeBatard show brought me here. Need I say more?
YES , ALL HAIL BLLY JOHNSON !!!
Billy the Kid
@tryonn Bill certainly has his financial struggles. However, I can attest tthat he has not sold his gold medal!
I won that medal from him in a game of pool we played in a house that I helped him build in Mt Crested Butte Colorado. Hahaa, he never paid up, but we sure had a blast back then.
RIP Bill!
RIP
👏👏👏💕
Johnson's personal life suffered as well, when his 13-month-old son, Ryan, drowned in a hot tub in 1992. At age 40, his marriage ended in divorce, and he was bankrupt and living in his class A motorhome when he mounted an improbable comeback bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The comeback ended abruptly on March 22, 2001, when Johnson crashed horribly during a training run prior to the downhill race of the 2001 U.S. Alpine Championships, held at The Big Mountain near Whitefish, Montana.[28] He sustained serious injury to the left side of his brain, nearly bit off his tongue, and was comatose for three weeks.[29]
In 2010, Johnson lived in Zigzag, near Mount Hood, and remained brain-damaged and in need of constant care, mostly from his mother. He became slightly more functional, though his speech and memory were permanently impaired.[30][31]
Later in 2010 Johnson, who had suffered a series of mini-strokes over the course of the previous ten years, fell victim to a massive stroke and was moved to a long-term care facility in Gresham, Oregon. Due to the stroke, Johnson no longer has the ability to sit up unassisted and cannot use his right hand. He also lost sight in his left eye and further lost the ability to speak above a whisper. He also suffers great pain when swallowing, which makes feeding him difficult.[32]
In June 2013, Johnson contracted an infection that nearly took his life. He was placed on life support while doctors worked to fight the infection. Johnson elected in July to remove himself from life support and refuse further treatment.[33] He has said that the next time something like this happens, his wishes are to be left alone so he can die.
C'mon Billy boy