Johnson, Cornelius
Track and Field
b. Aug. 21, 1913, Los Angeles, CA
d. Feb. 15, 1940
Hitler's supposed snub of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics has become part of sports mythology, but if a black athlete was snubbed in Berlin, Johnson was the victim. On the first day of competition, Hitler personally congratulated the winners of the first three events, who happened to be Germans and Finns. After all the German high jumpers had been eliminated, he left his box, so he wasn't on hand to congratulate Johnson for winning the gold medal in the high jump. It seems likely Hitler went home because it was getting dark and threatening rain, but the truth will never be known.
Johnson had competed in the 1932 Olympics, while still a high school student. He and three other jumpers tied at the same height, but Johnson was given fourth place because he had more misses. Under the modern tie-breaking procedure, he would have won the silver medal.
The 6-foot-5 Johnson set a world indoor record at 6 feet, 8 15/16 inches early in 1936, and he and David Albritton both cleared 6 feet, 9 3/4 inches at the Olympic trials that year to tie for the world record. Johnson won the AAU outdoor championship in 1933 and 1935 and tied in 1932, 1934, and 1936. He was the indoor champion in 1935 and tied in 1936 and 1938.