2017 Bill Johnson – swimming 1943
From Bill Robertson
Bill Johnson passed away peacefully On January first. He was a huge part of Texas Swimming history. He was captain before and after WWII.
Bill Johnson and the 1943 Swim Team
Bill Johnson’s accomplishments remind all Longhorns that In sports and far beyond, his contributions to Longhorn heritage have shaped the present and empowered the future.
The family is having a private burial with a memorial service in the planning stages later this year.
He “passed away peacefully on January first.”
🏊♂️ His Longhorn Career
– Captain of the Texas Swim Team both before and after WWII.
– A major figure in the early development of UT swimming culture.
– Part of the 1943 Texas Swim Team, one of the most historically significant wartime squads.
🎖️ Military Service
– Earned a Purple Heart for bravery at Iwo Jima.
This places him among the most decorated Longhorn athletes of the WWII generation.
🏕️ Camp Longhorn & “The Blob”
– After the war, he became a legendary figure at Camp Longhorn.
– Credited with inventing “The Blob”, the iconic lake‑launch inflatable used at camps nationwide.
❤️ Community Legacy
– Remembered as a “huge part of Texas Swimming history” and a “community legend” along with his wife MF.
– His family planned a private burial with a memorial service later in the year.
🧭Billy Johnson is someone whose name doesn’t always appear in the big media guides but who shaped the culture, the traditions, and even the physical spaces (Camp Longhorn, The Blob) that generations of Texans grew up with.
He’s also one of the rare Longhorn athletes whose story spans:
– Pre‑war UT athletics
– Combat heroism
– Post‑war rebuilding of UT sports
– Foundational Texas youth culture
That’s a uniquely Texas arc.
He earned a Purple Heart for his bravery at Iwo Jima, Invented the Blob while director at Camp Longhorn and was a community legend along with his Bride MF.
