Rafer Johnson excelled at so many things throughout his life that it is difficult to express all that he was, an incredible athlete, actor, humanitarian, loving husband, father and a friend to all. he was a true hero, and anyone who had the honor to meet him was indeed fortunate.

We, the beach volleyball team at UCLA, hold Rafer’s daughter, and our coach, Jenny, very close to our hearts. We got to know and love Rafer through Jenny and his devotion to his family. 

As young athletes, we are so inspired by Rafer, the man, and his legacy, and his long list of accomplishments. To play two NCAA sports simultaneously is for us, truly phenomenal, and all the more special that it was for UCLA. The Olympic dream is the pinnacle of success for a student-athlete, and Rafer was indeed “golden”. 

One of his major projects was the Southern California Special Olympics, an organization that Rafer was pivotal in founding,  Rafer devoted much of his time to helping others and we would like to raise money for the Special Olympics of Southern California to honor him.