Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

James Johnson, who will coach Team USA Greco-Roman wrestlers at the Summer Olympic Games, is the guest speaker at a free program scheduled Friday, July 20, in Elizabethtown.

James Johnson

Johnson, a University of Kentucky graduate, will speak about the Olympics and overcoming adversity. He’ll also meet with fans as part of the program, sponsored by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana.

The program, aimed at youths and families, will last from noon to 1 p.m. at 404 South Mulberry Street in E-town.

Johnson competed in freestyle for UK from 1977 through 1981. Although UK dropped wrestling as a varsity sport in 1983, Johnson’s career was just taking off.

He adapted to Greco-Roman wrestling and went on to win national championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995.

He also has had many international coaching assignments over the years, including last year’s World Championships and the 2012 Pan American Championships. He now lives in Phoenix, where he is coach of the Sunkist Kids.

The Summer Olympic Games begin in London one week after Johnson’s talk in Elizabethtown.

For more information, contact Ryan at (270) 769-5225 or by email at ryan.bilbrey@bbbsky.org.

This entry was posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:12 pm and is filed under Olympic Games, University of Kentucky, wrestling. Tagged: James Johnson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.