KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan Division of Intercollegiate Athletics mourns the passing of WMU Athletics Hall of Famer Len "Lefty" Johnston, who recently passed away at the age of 96.
A native of Saginaw, Mich., Johnston starred for both the football (1949-51) and baseball (1950-52) programs during his time at Western Michigan. On the gridiron, Johnston was an end who caught a then-school record nine touchdown passes during the 1951 season. On the diamond, he was part of a program which won four straight MAC regular season championships from 1949-52, and was part of the 1952 team which became the first in program history to reach the NCAA Tournament.