Rugby legend Tom Johnson, MNZM, died last week, aged 83. Photo / NZME
Rugby legend Tom Johnson, MNZM, died last week, aged 83. Photo / NZME
From captaining Hawke's Bay at age 20 and being thrashed 52-12 by the British Isles in 1959 to winning the Ranfurly Shield seven years later to being behind the push to establish a Rugby World Cup in 1987.
That was just 28 years of the life of Tom Johnson, MNZM, who died last week, aged 83. The father of the global Golden Oldies rugby movement was, in the words of former teammate Blair Furlong, an "integral" part of Hawke's Bay rugby's recovery after that annihilation at McLean Park in Napier to the winning of the shield, and its retention for three years.
A former student of Hamilton Boys' High School – a prefect who also captained both the First XV rugby team and the First XI cricket team - Johnson captained Hawke's Bay in 50 of his 84 matches for his new province from 1959 to 1968.
The playing career was coming to an end as the shield era was kicking-in, Furlong – having met Johnson as his club team captain when Furlong arrived at Napier Marist - recalling the day of the one-more-match when a place was made on the team for a player with a crook leg.
Hawke's Bay scored soon afterwards and having made the appearance Johnson was invalided off with another teammate Neil Thimbleby who's quoted describing the efficiency of it all by saying Johnson was back in the showers before the last strains of God Save the Queen.
It was such a mark of Johnson by the time he pulled the black-and-white jersey off for the last time that a year later he was assistant to Colin Le Quesne in coaching the team in the last season of the era, that the next he was on the Hawke's Bay union management committee, and in 1972 he was its chairman.
The playing was thus only the start of a career for Johnson who would have a player's mind for change, highlighted first in his year as HB chairman.
Tom Johnson captained Hawke's Bay in 50 of his 84 matches for the province from 1959 to 1968. Photo / NZME
He pushed for live televising of big games. And so it was that the August 1972 Hawke's Bay match against Australia at McLean Park, Napier, was in part televised, a prelude to the full telecast of the Wallabies' third test against the All Blacks at Eden Park a few weeks later.
Transferred by Europa Oil NZ as national sales manager in Wellington he was soon being wooed for a position helping run the still-amateur game of rugby in New Zealand and was elected to the NZRFU council, serving through some of the biggest years in its history – turbulent to some, to Johnson a challenge.
There was the 1981 Springbok Tour and its widespread protest against apartheid in South Africa, the continuing opposition which led to court action blocking a reciprocal All Blacks tour of the republic in 1985, and the upheaval of the top players' decision to go anyway a year later as the Cavaliers, unofficially dubbed the "rebel" All Blacks.
On the positive side was Johnson's role in establishing the Golden Oldies Rugby movement in 1979, leading to the growth of the brand in several sports worldwide, and his determination to establish a Rugby World Cup. This included writing the NZRFU position paper, and helping push it through at both the council table and at the IRB (now World Rugby) to the staging of the first tournament in New Zealand in 1987.
Having worked in Wellington for Lion Breweries in Wellington as general manager central region from 1980 to 1986 and as chief executive of sports marketing and management company Manhattan Marketing from 1986 to 1990, he returned to Hawke's Bay, becoming CEO of Hawke's Bay Racing for six years and nine months from November 1995 to 2001.
Seeing the possibilities in sports management and direction, he had extended studies through Massey University, producing a thesis entitled A Case Study of the Winning Ethos and Organisational Culture of the All Blacks (1950-2010) in becoming a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
In 2014 it became a book - Legends in Black
With particular reference to his role in Golden Oldies, Johnson was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the 2011 New Year Honours, and retired in Napier with wife Judy he was established as president of the Hawke's Bay Saracens Club, a movement of former Hawke's Bay Magpies players.
Survived by wife Judy, four sons and nine grandchildren, Johnson died on June 1 and his funeral will be at The Old Church, Meeanee Rd, Napier, on Friday at 2pm.
