Early Years
Johnson was born in Helena, Arkansas, but grew up in Detroit, Michigan with his two brothers and sisters. He played sandlot ball with Bill Freehan, Willie Horton, and Dennis Ribant.
Johnson attended Northwestern High School, where he excelled as an offensive lineman for the school's football team. He received a scholarship offer to attend Michigan State University to play football for the Michigan State Spartans, but opted to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies instead.
Read more about this topic: Alex Johnson
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or years:
“Quintilian [educational writer in Rome around A.D. 100] thought that the earliest years of the child’s life were crucial. Education should start earlier than age seven, within the family. It should not be so hard as to give the child an aversion to learning. Rather, these early lessons would take the form of play—that embryonic notion of kindergarten.”
—C. John Sommerville (20th century)
“till seven years were gane and past,
True Thomas on earth was never seen.”
—Unknown. Thomas the Rhymer (l. 79–80)