[2] Johnson was born in Delegate, New South Wales and played his early football in Gippsland, with Toongabbie.
[3] In 1926 he began playing for Sale in the Gippsland Football League, after the Toongabbie club became defunct.
[4] Late in the 1927 season, Johnson was involved in controversy when prior to Sale's semi-final against Stratford it was revealed that he had made an appearance with another team during the season without a clearance, which prompted Sale to withdraw him from their team to avoid losing the game on protest.
[7] His early appearances for Hawthorn showed promise and he did not miss selection for the first 12 rounds.
[11][12] Johnson was one of three linesmen who died near Drouin on 6 October 1948, when the line they were taking down came into contact with a 2,200 volt high tension wire.