Johnson attended Gonvick High School, where he served as a captain on the basketball team and was a four-time letterwinner.

[1] Johnson served at Buckley Air Force Base during World War II and helped wounded soldiers during their rehabilitation.

[1] In 1946, Johnson was playing at an Amateur Athletic Union tournament in Denver when he was spotted by Chuck Taylor, who told Rochester Royals coach and owner Les Harrison about Johnson.

In 2003, Monroe Community College in New York established the Arnold L. Johnson Endowed Memorial Scholarship for student athletes.

[3] This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1920s is a stub.