Remember Dan and Dave?

That’s right, the dynamic duo who took the world by storm thanks to some catchy Reebok ads prior to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Dave, as in Dave Johnson, won the decathlon bronze and grew accustomed to the 90s marketing fame. But what you may not know is that he now pursues athletes with a different brand- the seal of Jesus Christ.

Currently the FCA Willamette director, Johnson spoke to softball players at the Pacific Northwest Region Sports Camp at Oregon State University about how the camp theme mirrored that exact model of Christ-like behavior he found in the lives of others around him, and how he adapted it to his own lifestyle.

Of course, that wasn’t always the case.

As a kid, Johnson reveled in finding trouble where he could. Growing up in Missoula, Mont., he sharpened his sprinting skills running from police and finagled his way into stealing alcohol for him and his friends.

His family moved to Oregon the summer before his senior year in high school. As a way to make friends, he signed up for football as wide receiver. His legs, used to moving quickly, found their footing on the field and Johnson found his natural ability emerging.

His life illuminated in a new light. “That was the first time I ever saw myself as good at something other than trouble.”

It was also the first time Johnson came in contact with a true believer in Christ. A teammate invested in his life and shared how Christ was working in him. It was the moment Johnson had been subconsciously waiting for.

“Through that influence I made a change and decided that the trouble I’d been into I needed to be forgiven. I had a chance to start over and do something great for Christ.”

He attended Azusa Pacific University as a track and field athlete, excelling in the decathlon, a grueling test of stamina, strength and speed. He surrounded himself with like-minded coaches, teammates and mentors who taught him to think of God first.

“It was strange—as a kid growing up in Missoula, I had no idea that was how my life was going to be. But when you accept the Lord and if you’re all in and completely sell yourself out for what He is teaching you, there’s no limit to what you can do.”

Continued success at Azusa set him up for the next phase of life—world recognition and the “Reebok frenzy.”

In conjunction with the upcoming 1992 Summer Olympics, Reebok chose Johnson and fellow decathlete Dan O’Brien as the poster boys for their new line, pitting the men against each other in a battle of the iconic, “Dan-Dave. Who is the world’s greatest athlete? To be settled in Barcelona.” They spent $25 million on a series of commercials that stretched over months leading up to the Olympics.

It was more than Johnson ever imagined.

“When Reebok first decided they wanted an ad campaign I was thinking, ‘Ok a couple commercials.’ It ended up being 20-30 commercials that I had to be available for, and that was just before the Olympic year. In January and February of 1992 where I’m supposed to go win a gold medal, I was shooting commercials for two months. You don’t train for that.”

Johnson continued, “Even while I was number one in the world and the Reebok thing was happening I was thinking, ‘Man this is really cool, but it’s really not me.’ I didn’t know it was going to make me the center of attention like this.”

Recognition and fame threatened to claim him, but with his wife, training partners and coaches by his side, Johnson remained rooted in his faith.

“They kept me focused on God and not the world through Bible studies and prayer, to be centered on Christ even though the world was trying to pull me in weird places.”

Johnson reached Barcelona and won the bronze medal for the U.S. However, it was in the midst of utter desperation and pain where he received his true prize, an encouragement the Lord provided at the Games, just before the pole vault.

Competing with a stress fracture in his foot, the 12-hour first day of the event passed in long stretches. Johnson was able to find his coach between events for prayer and encouragement, though there were times during the day where thoughts of giving up plagued him—things weren’t going his way and he began to believe the world telling him of his failings.

But standing alone in the pole vault box, the pit perplexed him and his mind washed of the technique he’d known for years. He couldn’t warm up or put pressure on his foot, so swollen he couldn’t even tie his shoe. All he had was prayer.

“I really could see Christ telling me, ‘I died for you. I went through pain, too. You need to keep going, you need to go for this.’”

As Johnson prayed, a vision of Jesus appeared with His cross, held as a vaulting pole. “I could see Him running with the cross, and He was being whipped and He had blood in His eyes and He was still going as hard as He could, through the pain and everything that was going on. He ran through it and still jumped up on the cross and died for me.”

Johnson had never had a vision like that before and realized that if Christ could carry His cross to Calvary, Johnson could make it down the track.

“It made sense of why I was a Christian and why all those years of hard training and prayer. I had nothing left but Christ,” he stated.

Since then, he prays in a way that sees Christ and reminds others that God does show Himself in life. “It might not be what the best in the world is, but it will be what’s best with Him and will be what’s best for you as you grow in Him.”

After retiring from athletics, Johnson finished his masters degree and went to teach at an east L.A. middle school. He used his experiences in positions as an athletic director and teacher at high schools and colleges before committing to a coaching position at Oregon State and joining FCA fulltime.

“I’ll never forget seeing myself in each and every one of those kids and being able to figure out how the Lord would make me available to bless them.”

He now works with youth similarly facing the trials that temped Johnson as a boy. “The Lord is amazing how He builds our bodies, minds and spirits to be prepared for Him,” Johnson said. “For me, it was in a lot of trouble growing up. I had to go through some of that so I could be prepared for the kids I’m around now and let them know there’s a way out.”

Photos courtesy of Mike Powell/Allsport, beliefnet.com and willvallfca.org