ST. LOUIS — Reggie Blackwell was just a kid when Demetrious Johnson, a professional football player with the Detroit Lions, took him under his wing.
Blackwell was an incoming freshman at Ritenour High School. Johnson helped him practice drills over the summers, mentored him through Kansas State University and, when injury cut short Blackwell’s chances of playing professionally, advised him through a transition into the corporate world and, later, into radio broadcasting.
“That was a testament to his spirit, reaching out and helping, in particular, young Black men in the community,” said Blackwell, now CEO of a sports agency.
Johnson, a former NFL player, local radio host and philanthropist, died Saturday, Christmas Eve, of complications from an aortic dissection, a rare heart condition. He was 61.
“His big heart and love for his community will never be forgotten,” his family said in a written statement.
A St. Louis native, Johnson grew up in a city public housing project and went on to play football for Mizzou and the Lions before founding his nonprofit, the Demetrious Johnson Foundation, in 1992, which went on to run youth sports and tutoring programs year-round but was most well-known for its Thanksgiving turkey giveaways and Christmas toy drives, efforts that drew volunteers from among area coaches, athletes, nonprofit leaders and politicians.
“He was an outstanding person, had a big heart, loved people and he really did a lot for our community,” said former St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who met Johnson when he donated equipment to city recreation centers.
Johnson’s success was in large part because he was out front leading his foundation and drawing volunteers with his passion for helping others, Slay said.
“He didn’t sit up in a boardroom and have someone else do the work for him,” he said.
Johnson was born July 21, 1961, the youngest of eight children.
He grew up in the Darst-Webbe Public Housing Project, where he and his siblings were raised by single mother Eddie Mae Binion, a board member for the nonprofit law firm Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and an activist who created the South Side Welfare Rights to organize the housing project against discrimination and poor treatment by social workers.
Johnson graduated from McKinley High School with a full athletic scholarship to the University of Missouri, where he was a defensive back from 1979-82 and earned recognition as a Big 8 All Star. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in education.
The Lions tapped Johnson in the fifth round of the NFL draft the next year. After four seasons with the team including a stint as defensive captain, he played his fifth and last NFL season with the Miami Dolphins in 1987.
After retiring from professional football, Johnson worked as a sales manager for a medical supplies company before founding the Demetrious Johnson Foundation in 1992.
“To see hungry kids not being able to have a meal, that’s unfathomable to me,” Johnson told the Post-Dispatch in 2017 after a food drive that delivered 10,000 individual lunches to St. Louis kids who qualify for free or reduced-priced meals during the school year. “I just want to make sure we can do something to make these kids’ lives a bit better. If you try to do the right thing, people will support you and want to be a part of making change in this community.”
Johnson started his foundation to honor his mother, his sister Georgietta Binion said. Eddie May Binion died in 2009.
“We didn’t know anything about hard times because of my mom,” Binnion said. “She made sure our house was full of love. He saw what my mother did for us and the community and that’s why he wanted to give back.”
Many recognized Johnson’s love for his community work.
“When he knocked on someone’s door to offer them help, they had all of his attention,” said Gentry Trotter, founder and COO of Heat Up St. Louis.
The annual turkey giveaways would draw hundreds of volunteers and community partners, said state Sen. Karla May, whose district includes Johnson’s nonprofit.
“He was able to reach people,” May said.
Johnson was also a local radio personality with shows on WHHL-FM (Hot 104.1) and WFUN (96.3 FM).
Throughout his work, he continued to coach young athletes, including serving as the agent for Mizzou receiver Luther Burden III, an East St. Louis High graduate who was the country’s top-ranked wide receiver. Johnson met him running youth football camps at Tandy Recreation Center in St. Louis’ Ville neighborhood.
Johnson, who lived in west St. Louis County, is survived by his wife and six children and five siblings. Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.
