Losing a friend hurts, No matter when you find out

By Kenneth Miller, Publisher

The origin of the missed phone call was Nashville, Tennessee but the name associated with it was form St. Louis.

So, I immediately called DJ. Phone disconnected…Second number… Phone disconnected. Facebook confirmed it.

Demetrious Johnson, aka DJ, The Big Fella had died. He passed on Christmas Eve 2022, the day before his annual toy giveaway in north St. Louis that impacts thousands of families every year. He was just 61 years old.

I met DJ in 2005 when I was working with Don King to promote St. Louis native Corey Spinks versus Zab Judah boxing match. The two had just fought a year before in Las Vegas and King chose St. Louis for the rematch.

Two weeks before the fight you could not give tickets away, but I met DJ who took me around town, introduced me to everybody, he pledged to help me promote the fight then things begin to change.

Days before the fight Don King had a promoter’s dream. It was a sell-out, not a single ticket available.

I am not saying that DJ was single handedly responsible for that, but what I am saying is that fight would not have been as successful without the help of Demetrious Johnson.

He was that impactful, carried that much weight and if you so happen to be on the other side of one of his issues where he was advocating for poor Blacks, then may God be with you because your life was going to be a living hell.

He grew up in the Darst-Webbe Housing Projects and was raised by a single mother, just like I was in Los Angeles. He came from a family of 8, I came from one of 7. Our connection was immediate and it was sincere.

DJ would go from McKinley High School and then to University of Missouri on a football scholarship.

After graduating, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions to the NFL where he played for five years before concluding with the Miami Dolphins in 1987. Three years later in 1990 he started the

Demetrious Johnson Foundation.

It was through the foundation that our relationship evolved. That summer he invited me to his golf tournament, footing the bill for the flight and hotel. The next year he hosted a high school all-star game similar to the event that I produce in Los Angeles and we had a fun debate over who had the best players.

He challenged me to bring the best player from my game to play in his, so the following year I brought UCLA recruit Michael Roll who had played alongside Darren Collision in my Collision All Star Game.

Roll lit it up and DJ absolutely love it. I called Roll the other day and told him of DJ’s passing and he too was saddened. Roll said that was one of the most memorable events of his life.

There was an impasse where we didn’t talk for about a year, but when I called, he apologized we promised to keep in touch.

I met his former wife of 36 years, his childhood sweetheart Patricia “Pat” Jackson and their three daughters Ashley, Taylore and Alexandria. He was absolutely in love with all of them

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