Neil
Johnson

Born missing his left arm below the elbow, Neil Johnson was one of the few disabled volleyball players to compete at the highest levels of non-disabled volleyball as well as the highest level of volleyball for athletes with a physical disability.  In addition to playing for the Canadian Standing Volleyball team, Neil played for the varsity teams at Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary, and he began playing professionally in Bonn, Germany in 2004.

Missing one hand since birth raises technical questions. How can you be a volleyball star without your left hand?

“Neil wore no prosthetic in high school. He just made some adjustments, doing everything with one arm,” Karl Vinke, his coach at Glencoe District High School, explains. “Digging up a ball, he learned to adjust his shoulder movements to dig it up on the other side. Regular players have two hands with triple the surface area that Neil has to work with. In high school, Neil blocked with one hand. As a hitter, he was unparalleled. He is one of those players who has great control: great vision in the air to know where to hit. He can see the hands and spike the ball through the hole.”

Neil started his international career with the Canadian Standing Team in 1996 as a lanky 15-year-old high school volleyballer. From there, he moved on to Mount Royal College in Calgary, where he earned a spot on the starting line-up and earned awards such as Mount Royal Athletics Rookie of the Year in 2001, the Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year in 2002, and a First-Team All-Conference athlete in 2003, and Academic All-Canadian. Following that, he completed his studies at the University of Calgary, where he also earned a spot on the starting line-up of the Dinos Men’s Volleyball Team.  As an athlete with one arm, Neil was very aware that his years playing for the Mount Royal Cougars and the University of Calgary Dinos, along with a short professional stint in Germany, were blessings that very few disabled athletes have had the opportunity to experience. Neil suggests that being one of a very exclusive group of disabled athletes in the world who competed against the best non-disabled athletes in their sport was probably his greatest satisfaction.

Throughout his academic years, Neil remained with the National Standing Team, continuously contributing to the team’s success. He was only 19, competing in the Paralympic Games in Sydney, when head coach Calvin Aubin gave him the opportunity to prove that he was one of the top players in the world. As Neil matured as a player, so did the team. The results speak for themselves – 2000 Paralympic Silver medal from Sydney, World Cup Silver in 2003, World Cup Gold in 2005 in Regina, and World Championship Gold in 2002, 2004, and 2006 – results that few Canadian National Teams in any sport can boast. During that time, Neil and the team had a match record of 38 wins and three losses, which Neil indicated was perhaps the accomplishment he is most proud of. Neil was a key contributor and captain of the team that dominated a sport like very few teams ever have or will.

Just like at the post-secondary level, Neil’s international accolades began to pile up. In 2002, he was named the Best Attacker and Best Server at the World Championships in Poland. The following year, he earned the title of Best Attacker at the 2003 World Cup in Greece. He continued his success at the 2004 World Championships in Germany, again taking the Best Server title. At the 2006 Asia Pacific Cup in Cambodia, he took home Best Attacker and MVP. Furthermore, in 2003, he and his teammates from 2000 and 2002 were inducted into the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame.

Neil is giving back to the sport as he has returned to coach at his old high school for the past two seasons. He has also been helping to coach the youth development program at Forest City Volleyball Club in London, Ontario.

Today, we are honoured to induct Neil Johnson into the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame as an Athlete, recognizing his extraordinary achievements on the national and international stage.