Art Johnson captured the public's attention during the 1953 Thanksgiving Day football game at Atwood Stadium. He had two touchdowns, including this game-winning reception for Flint Northern.
"A lot of people didn't realize how great he was. He was All-State in football, basketball and track," longtime friend Norm Bryant said.
Johnson went on to be a standout football player for MSU and played in the Canadian Football League and for the Detroit Lions. But he took the most pride in being the grandfather of Mark Ingram. He was there in New York when Mark received the Heisman.
"He was very proud, very proud. He was looking forward to this next football season," Johnson's widow, Barbara, said.
But last Saturday morning his wife found him in their Flint home, struggling to breathe. "He was trying to talk. You could tell he was having trouble getting his breath. I told him not to talk," she said.
He was taken by ambulance to McLaren Regional Medical Center where he died a short time later.
"They came back and said that he stopped breathing, and they couldn't bring him back," she told ABC12's Randy Conat.
Lifelong friend Norm Bryant called Mark Ingram the next day. "I said, 'You probably put an extra three years on your grandfather's life. Just the fact that you achieved what you did and he was there to see you.'"
Johnson had just turned 75.
Visitation for Art Johnson will be this Friday from noon to 8 p.m. at Moon Funeral Home in Flint.
The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Avenue in Flint.
