Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson started playing hockey in his back garden soon after he was able to walk. He played for Friends School in his hometown of Lisburn in Northern Ireland. With Friends, Johnson appeared in five Schools’ Cup Finals, winning three. He left school in 1947 and had one season playing hockey for Lisburn Old Boys before embarking on a long and glittering career with Lisnagarvey hockey club.

A full-back or wing-half, Johnson won the first of 20 Ireland caps against Wales in 1952. He would also represent Ulster on 40 occasions. Johnson became captain of Lisnagarvey, affectionally just called “Garvey”, and played for probably the best ever Garvey team in the1950s and early-60s. Between 1949-55 they won the Irish Senior League six years in succession and in 1958 Johnson captained Garvey to victory in the Irish Senior Cup. Johnson was named the Irish Hockey Player of the Year in 1956, the year he went to the Melbourne Olympics with the Great Britain squad. He was called into the final group game against Australia but he did not play in any further matches as Great Britain went on to finish fourth. Johnson retired from playing in 1969 and ran his own successful Belfast employment agency.