[3] Playing under coach LaDell Andersen, Johnson was part of Utah State teams that made the NCAA tournaments of 1962 and 1963.

Johnson averaged 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds in his senior season and graduated from Utah State in 1963 with a B.S.

In four seasons with Johnson as an assistant, Weber State finished at the top of the Big Sky Conference in 1965, 1966, and 1968 and made the 1968 NCAA Tournament.

[5] On November 29, 1973, the Kansas City-Omaha Kings hired Johnson as new head coach after firing Bob Cousy.

[11] In 1979, Johnson returned to the Chicago Bulls, this time as an assistant coach on Jerry Sloan's staff.

On July 20, 1982, Johnson joined Frank Layden's staff on the Utah Jazz and would serve as an assistant coach for two seasons.

[5] On November 30, 1984, the Kansas City Kings hired Johnson as head coach, after Jack McKinney resigned following a 1–8 start.

Conference tournament champion Johnson and his wife, Ann, are the parents of two children, Mitchel and Nathan, and have two grandchildren, McKenna and Alexander.