# Rex Johnston > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rex_Johnston > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rex_Johnston.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Johnston > Source revision: 1266291184 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American baseball player (1937–2019)}} {{for|the Australian lawn bowler|Rex Johnston (bowls)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Rex Johnston |image= |position=[Outfielder](/source/Outfielder) |bats=Switch |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date|1937|11|8}} |birth_place=[Colton, California](/source/Colton%2C_California), U.S. |death_date= {{death date and age|2019|12|15|1937|11|8}} |death_place=[Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles), California, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=April 15 |debutyear=1964 |debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=May 11 |finalyear=1964 |finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates |statleague = MLB |stat1label=[Batting average](/source/Batting_average_(baseball)) |stat1value=.000 |stat2label=[At bats](/source/At_bats) |stat2value=7 |stat3label=[Runs scored](/source/Runs_scored) |stat3value=1 |teams= *[Pittsburgh Pirates](/source/Pittsburgh_Pirates) ({{mlby|1964}}) }} '''Rex David Johnston''' (November 8, 1937 – December 15, 2019) was an American professional athlete who played [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) for the [Pittsburgh Pirates](/source/Pittsburgh_Pirates) and in the [National Football League](/source/National_Football_League) (NFL) for the [Pittsburgh Steelers](/source/Pittsburgh_Steelers). He is the only athlete to have played for both of [Pittsburgh's](/source/Pittsburgh%2C_Pennsylvania) iconic [baseball](/source/professional_baseball) and [football](/source/American_football) teams.{{cite news |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/brian-oneill/2004/08/22/Fleeting-fame-of-the-last-man-to-play-for-Pirates-and-Steelers/stories/200408220256?cid=search |last1=O'Neill |first1=Brian |title=Fleeting fame of the last man to play for the Pirates and Steelers |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=August 22, 2004 |accessdate=December 18, 2019}} He attended the [University of Southern California](/source/University_of_Southern_California), where he played both sports, standing {{convert|6|ft|1|in}} tall and weighing {{convert|202|lb}} during his active career. ==Ten games with 1964 Pirates== A switch-hitting [outfielder](/source/outfielder) who threw [right-handed](/source/right-handed), Johnston signed with the Pirates in 1959 and spent five full seasons in Pittsburgh's [minor league](/source/minor_league_baseball) [system](/source/farm_system) before making the Bucs' varsity out of [spring training](/source/spring_training) in {{baseball year|1964}}. MLB teams were then allowed to carry three extra players on their roster for the first 30 days of the season, and Johnston appeared in 14 [games](/source/games_played) as a [leftfielder](/source/leftfielder), [centerfielder](/source/centerfielder), [pinch hitter](/source/pinch_hitter) and [pinch runner](/source/pinch_runner) between April 15 and May 11. He logged ten [plate appearances](/source/plate_appearances) and drew three [bases on balls](/source/bases_on_balls), but went hitless in seven [at bats](/source/at_bats). In his only Major League start, as a centerfielder on May 2 against the [St. Louis Cardinals](/source/St._Louis_Cardinals) at [Busch Stadium](/source/Sportsman's_Park), Johnston came to the plate five times against [southpaws](/source/left-handed) [Curt Simmons](/source/Curt_Simmons) and [Bobby Shantz](/source/Bobby_Shantz); he walked once, reached on an [error](/source/error_(baseball)), and grounded out three times.{{Cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1964/B05020SLN1964.htm |title=Pittsburgh Pirates 5, St. Louis Cardinals 4 |website=retrosheet.org |date=May 2, 1964 |accessdate=December 18, 2019}} His baseball career continued at the Triple-A level through 1966, and he [batted](/source/batting_average_(baseball)) .266 with 59 [home runs](/source/home_runs) in 938 minor league games.{{Cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=johnst001rex |title=Rex Johnston Minor Leagues Statistics & History |website=baseball-reference.com |publisher=sports-reference.com |accessdate=December 18, 2019}} ==Time with Steelers== Johnston played [halfback](/source/running_back) in college for USC. In 1960, when he was struggling as a baseball player at the Class C level in the Pirates' system, he was invited to try out for the NFL Steelers. According to the [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette](/source/Pittsburgh_Post-Gazette), Johnston called [Branch Rickey, Jr.](/source/Branch_Rickey%2C_Jr.), the Pirates' farm system director, seeking permission to play pro football as well as baseball. "I'll never forget what he said: 'Rex, I look at your stats every day. If you've got something else to do, you'd better do it,'" Johnston recalled in 2004. Ironically, Johnston immediately started hitting, was promoted twice to Class B and Class A, and ended the season batting a respectable .275 before reporting to the Steelers late in training camp. Johnston played the full, 12-game NFL schedule for the [1960 Steelers](/source/1960_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season), almost exclusively as a [kickoff](/source/kickoff_returner) and [punt returner](/source/punt_returner). He averaged 21.8 yards in 18 kickoff returns (longest 38 yards) and 3.8 yards in 12 punt returns (longest 14 yards) and scored no [touchdowns](/source/touchdown_(football)). As a halfback, he carried four times for 12 yards. It was his only season in pro football.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JohnRe01.htm |title=Rex Johnston Stats |website=pro-football-reference.com |publisher=sports-reference.com |accessdate=December 18, 2019}} As of 2004, Johnston was heading his family's industrial painting business in [Paramount, California](/source/Paramount%2C_California). He died from heart failure in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) on December 15, 2019, at age 82.[https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/story/2019-12-18/rex-johnston-usc-football-baseball-nfl-mlb-dies Wilhalme, Matt (18 December 2019), "Rex Johnston, Who Played Football and Baseball at USC, NFL and MLB, Dies at 82."] ''[The Los Angeles Times](/source/The_Los_Angeles_Times)'' ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{baseball stats |mlb=116646 |espn= |br=j/johnsre01 |fangraphs= |brm=johnst001rex |retro=Pjohnr107}} * {{football stats |nfl= |pfr=J/JohnRe01}} {{1958 USC Trojans baseball}} {{USC Trojans football rushing leaders navbox}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Rex}} Category:1937 births Category:2019 deaths Category:Asheville Tourists players Category:Columbus Jets players Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:Grand Forks Chiefs players Category:Idaho Falls Russets players Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Sportspeople from Colton, California Category:People from Paramount, California Category:Phoenix Giants players Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players Category:Players of American football from San Bernardino County, California Category:Baseball players from Los Angeles County, California Category:Tacoma Giants players Category:USC Trojans baseball players Category:USC Trojans football players Category:Compton High School alumni Category:Baseball players from San Bernardino County, California --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rex Johnston](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Johnston) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Johnston?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.