Rafer Johnson hopes his legacy inspires others to be their best
LOS ANGELES - Outside the modest Sherman Oaks home of Los Angeles' most unassuming sports legend hangs a flag.
It is not a flag of a team or an accomplishment, but of a mission.
"Love," it reads.
Inside, Rafer Johnson, 83, an athlete whose life both literally and figuratively lit a flame, speaks of his legacy with a gentle smile.
"I want people to remember that I appreciated the opportunity to be of help and service," he says.
He leans back in a chair surrounded by a testament to the noticeable fact that he did not mention a single personal accomplishment in that answer.
Examining the famous Rafer Johnson's home, one would have no idea that the famous Rafer Johnson lived there.
His 1960 Olympic gold medal in the decathlon, anointing him as the greatest athlete in the world at that time? It's nowhere to be found.
The torch he used to light the 1984 Olympic flame in Los Angeles,
