Born in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, James Johnson started wrestling his junior year at D. H. Conley High School under coach Milt Sherman. 

Johnson won a state championship his senior year, the first state championship in any sport for D.H. Conley High.

A groundbreaker, he became North Carolina’s first Eastern Junior National Champion and first Junior Nationals All-American.

Johnson enrolled at the University of Kentucky and was a member of the wrestling team from 1977-80, under Coach Fletcher Carr, in the 190-pound weight class. He had a career record of 65-21 at Kentucky and won the Southern Open twice. He was a three-time Southeastern Conference medalist, including second-place finishes in 1977 and 1980, and was a member of Kentucky's 1977 SEC championship team.

He also served as a graduate assistant coach at Kentucky. After graduating from Kentucky in 1981, Johnson earned his post-graduate degree in clinical nutrition.

Johnson went on to remarkable success in his post-collegiate career as a Greco-Roman competitor. He was a member of the USA National Wrestling Team for 12 years, winning three national championships while wrestling at 100 kilograms (220 pounds). He won seven medals in the Pan American Games, including a gold medal in 1986 and silver in 1991.

He placed fifth in the 1993 World Championships and was winner of USA Wrestling’s first Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year award in 1993. 

Johnson coached in dozens of national and international events, including the 2012 Olympics, and was on the training staff for the 2016 Olympics.

For more than 15 years, he served as the Greco-Roman head coach for the internationally respected Sunkist Kids club. While coaching the Sunkist Kids, he guided several wrestlers who went on to compete for the United States World and Olympic Teams.

Johnson also made an impact on the college level. In addition to being a graduate assistant at Kentucky, he was an assistant coach at Arizona State, North Carolina State and Grand Canyon University.

Johnson was elected to the North Carolina Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007 and elected to the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.