Frank Johnson Senior lived at 112 Evans Street, Port Melbourne, at the time of his greatest success with Port Melbourne Football Club. Johnson joined the Port Melbourne seniors at age 18 in 1950, and won the J.J. Liston Trophy in 1952, and was named best and fairest a record five times in eight years. Johnson was selected in 1953 and 1956 to the All-Australian team, winning the Coronation Premiership Player award in 1953, and in 1956 was named as captain. During 1956-1957, Johnson Sr coached Port Melbourne, before playing for and coaching South Warrnambool in 1958-1959. Despite concerns that, at 28, he might be “too old” to return to football on moving back to Port Melbourne, Johnson Sr played for South Melbourne in the VFL from 1960 to 1964, winning best and fairest in 1960. Unusually for a player with such a strong VFA record, in 2007 he was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame, and the VFL’s Frank Johnson Medal, given to the best player in interstate matches, is named in his honour. In the 2003 Port Melbourne “Team of the Century,” Johnson was named captain. Frank Johnson, Jr also played for Port Melbourne Football Club, including making an impressive performance in the 1980 VFA grand final against Coburg, leading to Port Melbourne taking the premiership that year.
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