Bill Johnson (March 30, 1960 – January 21, 2016) would not have been considered likely to be the first American men's skier to win a World Cup Downhill and achieve the #1 ranking in FIS downhill.
Bill Johnson learned to ski in Idaho as a child then got serious as a teen living in Sandy, OR. Full of energy and rebellion, he was a natural for the downhill. After agreeing to attend Mission Ridge Ski Academy in Washington as a juvenile justice diversion, Johnson sharpened his skills beginning in 1977 at age 17.
Six years later, he made the US Ski team, making his World Cup debut in Austria at age 22. Bill embraced the daredevil, bad boy image of a downhill racer. In the Olympic year of 1984, Johnson won that first World Cup title in Switzerland, something no American had ever accomplished.
One month later, he arrived at the Games of Sarajevo and predicted Olympic victory. He backed that up with a 1:45.59 run, winning the gold by .27 seconds. 1984 was the year of "Billy the Kid: two more World Cup wins and a third-place finish in the season standings. America had its long-awaited champion on the slopes.
The success did not last, Johnson's brashness made him unpopular on the tour and he lost his financial support in 1985. Injuries and poor results caused him to be left off the 1988 Olympic team. Bill tried to launch an alternative pro circuit and was a critic of skiing’s standards of amateurism.
An attempted comeback ended in 2001 with a serious crash in Montana. He was a torch bearer at the 2002 Olympic opening ceremony in Salt Lake City. The rest of Bill Johnson's life was a physical challenge. His need for speed and competition didn't mesh with retirement.
Bill Johnson is a member of the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.