Johnson, Montana will join same 'Hall'

Robert Johnson and Joe Montana played for the same high school team.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Two former Monongahela (Pa.) High football standouts -- Robert Johnson and Joe Montana -- who both played in different eras for their school but on the same football field, soon will become members of the same "team."
Johnson, a retired General Motors employee from Austintown, and Montana, a former quarterback for the University of Notre Dame and San Francisco 49ers and an NFL Hall of Fame member, will become fellow members of the same hall of fame.
Johnson, a 1960 graduate of Monongahela where he played football from 1957-59, will join Montana, a 1973 graduate, in the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame in June as a member of the 2007 induction class.
Montana, who played his senior season for Monongahela in 1972 just before the school was renamed Ringgold High in 1973, was inducted in 2000.
The 2007 induction ceremonies will be held during the annual Mid Mon Valley's Sports Hall of Fame Banquet June 16, at the Natali Performance Center on the campus of California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pa.
The Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame originated in 1951. The first two inductions were Stan Musial, a baseball Hall of Fame member from the St. Louis Cardinals, and Bert Rechichar, former NFL player who played one season for the Cleveland Browns.
Musial attended Donora High, which is located about 6 miles from Monongahela.
Renewed acquaintanceships
Johnson, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both his junior and senior seasons and also scored 19 TDs as a senior, renewed old acquaintanceship with Montana and other friends last September at Ringgold High at a pair of events that honored Montana.
Johnson received a VIP invitation to attend a ceremony at Ringgold High Stadium on Sept. 8, when the name of that facility was changed to Joe Montana Stadium.
And Johnson also received a VIP invitation to the newly-formed Ringgold Hall of Fame ceremonies on Sept. 9, during which Montana was inducted. Musial also is a member of that group.
Johnson said he had a great time attending both events last September, and considered his invitation an honor in itself.
But now he ranks being selected to the Mid Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame with Montana and other stars as one of the milestones in his life.
"Yes, this probably is the biggest highlight of my life. I really believe that," said Johnson, who 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 thought that being invited to the Joe Montana stadium naming was the biggest, but this is bigger than that."
Didn't see it coming
Johnson, who now works part-time on the weekend as a maintenance consultant for Lincoln Place in Youngstown, had no inkling that he was going to be picked for the Hall of Fame.
"When I got the letter, I didn't expect it. I had no idea I was going in," said Johnson. "I have had more phone calls and e-mails from people back there. It is unbelievable. It is really something. I wanted this for a long time."
Johnson said that when he attended the Montana events in September, people were asking him, " 'Why aren't you in the Hall of Fame. You should have been in it a long time ago.' "
And he said he answered, " 'I think they forgot about me.' "
But he had a great time.
"I got to meet Joe Montana. Joe remembers me and my father. Joe didn't know me that well. He knew my dad real well," said Johnson, noting that his father was a basketball coach and assistant football coach at Monongahela before leaving coaching in 1952, and had Montana in his home room.
"And, "I played ball with [Joe's] dad. His dad was our coach in softball. He was a real good friend." But, "Joe was just a little kid [then]."
Family will join him
Johnson will be joined at the induction ceremonies by his wife, Nancy; twin brother Bill of Canfield Township, who also played football for Monongahela and is retired from GM; sister Carol [Johnson] Milesky of Finleyville, Pa.; and his mother-in-law, Mrs Jean Reedy.
Johnson also is hoping his two sons, Robert and Scott, will attend. Robert has a law degree and is the prosecutor for the city of Girard. Scott has a doctorate degree and teaches political science at Frostburg (Md.) State University.
kovach@vindy.com