Olympic Gold Medalist, Connecticut Resident Butch Johnson Dies At 68

WOODSTOCK, CT — Richard "Butch" Johnson, a resident of Woodstock who traveled the world competing in five consecutive Olympic Games and won a gold medal with the 1996 U.S. archery team in Atlanta, has passed away, according to an announcement from USA Archery. He was 68.

A synopsis of his story posted by a family friend indicates Johnson had been living for several years with a blood cancer called chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Recently, his symptoms progressed, forcing removal of his spleen last week. His recovery was complicated by his leukemia, leading to a stroke from which he could not recover, and he died late Monday night.

Beginning in Barcelona in 1992, Johnson represented his country in each Olympiad through the 2008 Games in Beijing. He teamed with Justin Huish and Rod White in Atlanta to capture the men's recurve team gold medal, the lone gold ever won by Team USA.

At the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, the team of Johnson, White and Vic Wunderle took home the bronze medal. Other international success was achieved with team gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1999 (Winnipeg) and 2007 (Rio de Janeiro), and a team bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships in Riom, France.

Individually, Johnson won both silver and bronze medals at the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina. He placed second at the 2012 National Target Championships in Hamilton, Ohio, and earned the silver medal that same year at the Hoyt World Open.

"Butch was an icon in the sport, matching a unique technique approach with elite success and unrivalled longevity as the USA Archery’s most-capped Olympian," World Archery secretary general Tom Dielen said. "His impact went beyond the shooting line to the many archers he coached and mentored. My condolences go to his wife Teresa, his family and the archery community in the USA."

A 2012 feature story on npr.org illustrated Johnson's humility and lack of ego, despite all his success. The article revealed, "He keeps his medals in a cabinet under the kitchen sink.," and also described the red-headed athlete as "tall and broad-shouldered, and he doesn't say much."

The last point became clearly evident in 2017, when he was accorded one of the state's most prestigious sports awards, the Gold Key, by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance (now the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance).

As part of a group of honorees which included recent Pro Football Hall of Fame electee Dwight Freeney, Johnson set what is believed to be an unofficial record for shortest time at the podium since the Gold Key Dinner debuted in 1940. His acceptance speech lasted 34 seconds.

Funeral arrangements are not yet complete.