{{short description|American shot putter (born 1984)}} {{for|the American football defensive tackle|Garrett Johnson (American football)}} {{Infobox sportsperson | headercolor = | name = Garrett W. Johnson | image = Garrett Johnson | image_size = <!--Only for images narrower than 220 pixels.--> | caption = | nationality = {{USA}} | residence = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|05|24|mf=y}} | birth_place = Tampa, Florida, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | sport = Track and field | event = Shot putter | collegeteam = Florida State University | club = | pb = | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's athletics (track and field) }} {{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }} {{MedalCompetition|Pan American Junior Championships}} {{MedalGold|2003 Bridgetown|Shot put}} | show-medals = yes }}

'''Garrett W. Johnson''' (born May 24, 1984) is an American entrepreneur and award-winning shot putter. Johnson won the 2006 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Shot Put Championship, and was also named a Rhodes Scholar in 2006 on behalf of the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fsu.com/pages/2005/11/21/GarrettJohnson.html |title=FSU student-athlete Garrett Johnson wins Rhodes Scholarship |access-date=2007-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208051416/http://www.fsu.com/pages/2005/11/21/GarrettJohnson.html |archive-date=2006-12-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He is the cofounder and currently serves as Chairman of the Foundation for American Innovation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lincoln Network "About" page|url=https://joinlincoln.org/about}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Johnson is also Cofounder and chief operating officer of Hydra Host, a startup valued at $500m backed by Peter Thiel.

==Career== Upon graduation from Oxford, Johnson served as a staffer for the Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations.

In 2011, along with Ash Rust and John Fallone, Johnson co-founded SendHub a text message marketing company.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ward|first=Bill|title=Ex-track star Johnson finds his niche|url=http://www2.tbo.com/sports/sports/2012/mar/09/1/ex-track-star-johnson-finds-his-niche-ar-367582/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623012440/http://www2.tbo.com/sports/sports/2012/mar/09/1/ex-track-star-johnson-finds-his-niche-ar-367582/|archive-date=2012-06-23|access-date=2012-03-22|publisher=Tampa Bay Online}}</ref>

In 2014, Johnson co-founded the Lincoln Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lincoln Network "About Us" page|url=https://joinlincoln.org/about|access-date=2021-07-01|archive-date=2021-07-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182259/https://joinlincoln.org/about|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Academic== Garrett Johnson was the salutatorian in the 2002 graduating class at Tampa Baptist Academy in Tampa, Florida, where he won multiple state championships.

Johnson was a student in the FSU Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE), beginning in the Summer of 2002. He attended FSU, graduating magna cum laude in three years with a double major in Political Science and English. Johnson was named an academic All-American in 2005 and 2006 and earned the Florida State Golden Torch Award given to the FSU student-athlete with the highest GPA. Johnson, a scholar athlete, was named to the FSU Dean's list with a 3.5 GPA or better and the FSU President's list with a 4.0 GPA throughout his undergraduate career.

Johnson completed a master's degree in migration studies as a 2006 Rhodes Scholar at Exeter College, Oxford University.

==Track and field== * Shot Put * 2006, NCAA Indoor National Champion (Shot Put) * 2006, NCAA Outdoor National Champion (Shot Put) * 2008, Oxford University club record <ref>https://www.ouac.org/all-time-list#tab-2072256</ref>

Johnson was coached by Harlis Meaders. Johnson was a finalist in the 2008 USA Track & Field Olympic Trials, but failed to post a mark, fouling on all attempts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/2008/Johnson_Garrett.asp |title=Garrett Johnson |publisher=USA Track & Field |access-date=2011-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005213156/http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/2008/Johnson_Garrett.asp |archive-date=2018-10-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Personal life== Johnson resides in Florida and has been married since 2014. He serves on the board of directors of the Foundation for Florida's Future.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Foundation for Florida's Future Webpage|url=https://afloridapromise.org/about/}}</ref> Additionally, he is an advisor for the Cicero Institute,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Team|url=https://www.ciceroinstitute.org/team|access-date=2021-07-12|website=www.ciceroinstitute.org}}</ref> and a Steering Committee Member of the Tech Talent Project.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://techtalentproject.org/about-us/|access-date=2021-07-12|website=Tech Talent Project|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Awards== * 2004 Seminole Impact Award<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fsu.com/pages/2004/04/07/stu_athl_comm_serv.html |title=Student-athletes recognized for service on FSU.com |access-date=2007-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026213458/http://www.fsu.com/pages/2004/04/07/stu_athl_comm_serv.html |archive-date=2006-10-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> * 2004–2005 ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All America<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cosida.com/formpdfs/2005CoSIDAAAAMen_sTrackTeam.pdf |title=ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team Selected By Cosida |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> * 2005 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fsu.edu/profiles/johnson/ |title=FSU's Garrett Johnson Student Profile |accessdate=2007-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222064129/http://fsu.edu/profiles/johnson/ |archive-date=2007-02-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> * 2005–2006 ESPN The Magazine University Academic All American of the Year<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cosida.com/formpdfs/2006CoSIDAAAAMen_sTrackTeam.pdf |title=M.I.T.'s Orji, Florida State's Johnson Top 2005–06 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Track/Cross Country Teams |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> * 2005–2006 ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All America<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cosida.com/formpdfs/2006CoSIDAAAAMen_sTrackTeam.pdf |title=ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team Selected By Cosida |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> * 2006 Rhodes Scholar<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.milesplit.com/article/7053 |title=Garrett Johnson Selected For Rhodes Scholarship |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> * 2006 USTFCCCA Division I National Outdoor Men's Field Co-Athlete of the Year<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fsu.edu/indexBOFStory.html?lead.crist.garrett.johnson |title=Among stars, FSU's Rhodes Scholar shines brightest |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> * 2007 Inaugural Frank Dolson/Penn Relays Award<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pennathletics.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=10846&SPID=559&DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=695098 |title=Inaugural Frank Dolson/Penn Relays Award to be Presented |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{World Athletics}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20181005213156/http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/2008/Johnson_Garrett.asp Garrett Johnson's Official USA Track & Field Page]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Garrett}} Category:1984 births Category:African-American track and field athletes Category:American Rhodes Scholars Category:American men shot putters Category:Florida State Seminoles men's track and field athletes Category:Living people Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games Category:21st-century American sportsmen