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, pe ...

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

. He competed in

coxless pair A coxless pair is a rowing boat 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 having one oar, one on the stroke side (rower's right h ...

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

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, 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 ...

. He continued to row at

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

and the Potomac Boat Club. At the 1964 Summer Olympics, he placed tenth 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 Stanford University, officially Le ...

, 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 research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. 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 research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

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 eighteen men's college rowing crews. It is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Members Eighteen colleges and universities are members ...

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 footnote''

. Returned to Georgetown in 2022 to coach the Men's Heavyweight team.

References

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