Robert Johnson is Ringgold VIP

The retired GM employee was invited to attend the dedication of Joe Montana Stadium in Pennsylvania.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- What does Robert Johnson, a retired General Motors employee from Austintown, have in common with Joe Montana, a former quarterback for the University of Notre Dame and San Francisco 49ers and an NFL Hall of Fame member?
Three things, it turns out: They both were standout athletes at Monongahela High, which changed to Ringgold High just before Montana graduated in 1973. And Johnson's father, Harry, who was a teacher and coach at Monongahela, had Montana in his home room.
As a result, Johnson has received a VIP invitation to attend the dedication of Ringgold's football field and Hall of Fame this weekend -- with Montana as the center of attention.
Ringgold Stadium will be renamed Joe Montana Stadium in ceremonies Friday night during the Ringgold-Indiana game.
Then on Saturday night, at the New Eagle (Pa.) Fire Hall, Montana will be inducted into Ringgold's newly-formed Hall of Fame, along with three other former professional athletes from the Monongahela area -- baseball Hall of Fame member Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals, former major league baseball standout Ken Griffey Sr. and ex-NFL placekicker Fred Cox of the Minnesota Vikings.
Musial and Griffey both attended Donora High, which is located about 6 miles from Monongahela, while Cox played football at Monongahela.
Received a VIP invitation
Johnson, now 65, is a 1960 graduate of Monongahela, where he played football from 1957-59. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both his junior and senior seasons and also scored 19 TDs as a senior.
Johnson also played three years of basketball at Monongahela and broke every scoring record at the school, including most points scored in one game (40).
"I was invited back because I was among the standout athletes at Monongahela High," said Johnson. "To me, it's one of the greatest things that happened in my life besides having my two boys [Robert and Scott].
"I always wanted to be recognized for what I did and it never happened and then all of a sudden -- boom. This is the recognition of my achievements."
Robert has a law degree and is the prosecutor for the city of Girard, while Scott has a doctorate degree and teaches political science at Frostburg (Md.) State University.
Twin brother invited, too
Johnson said he is planning to attend the ceremonies with his second wife, Nancy, and his sister, Carol [Johnson] Milesky of Finleyville, Pa.
His twin brother, Bill, of Canfield Township, also received a VIP invitation but was not planning to go. Bill played football for Monongahela and also is retired from GM.
Montana, a 1973 Ringgold High graduate, played his senior year on the Monongahela field. After that, Monongahela and Donora were combined to form Ringgold High. The stadium is located outside of Monongahela.
Johnson said Montana and his hometown deserve the recognition.
"To me, [Montana] was just the best quarterback I ever saw," said Johnson. "Naming the stadium after him, that helps the region because everything there is so depressed [and] the steel mills are down."
Johnson said he never has met Montana but is looking forward to it.
"I hope that I will be able to mention to him that we played on the same field. And I also want to ask him if he remembered my dad," said Johnson, noting that his father was a basketball coach and assistant football coach at Monongahela before leaving coaching in 1952.
"My dad said that [Montana] was the best quarterback that he ever saw, that he was able to throw the ball the length of the football field. [And that Montana] was just a fine gentleman and good kid. I never met Joe, but I met his dad and played softball with him," said Johnson.
kovach@vindy.com