Ralph Kenneth Johnson was born on Feb. 12, 1947. As a child, his mother and father taught him discipline and that faith and prayer could help in difficult times of life. When Ken Johnson was in high school, he achieved all-state in basketball and football. After he graduated from Anderson High School, colleges from all over the country started sending him scholarship offers. Ken Johnson had a successful collegiate career at Indiana University until his senior year.

On the brink of his NBA career, he decided to experiment with drugs and alcohol. Suffering as a student and feeling the disappointment from his fans, Johnson admitted he was blowing the most important year of his life. Remembering what he was taught as a child, he decided to turn a bad situation into a positive one. The Dallas Cowboys were interested in his athletic ability. Even though he hadn’t played football since high school, he was willing to give it a try. The scouts were impressed with a man of his size running a 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds. After signing with the Cowboys and being put on waivers the Cincinnati Bengals added him to their roster on the defensive line. Ken Johnson enjoyed a successful career with the Bengals in 1970 to 1977, when the NFL began to grow. He had injured his knee in a game against the Miami Dolphins. His career began to nosedive once again and a teammate challenged him to give his life to God.

Another life altering experience for him was the train accident. He had been driving down Locust Street when he attempted to outrun a train. When he reached the tracks, the engine stalled trapping his van and dragging it 100 yards. Remarkably, he survived with only seven stitches. The incident had been his wake-up call and taught him that “life has real purpose given the ability to choose.” Currently, Ken Johnson shares his experiences to teach the dangers of substance abuse to students.