Old Man Johnson

The story of Old Man Johnson is a ghostly legend deeply embedded in the oral traditions of George Mason University’s women’s crew team. According to the tale, Old Man Johnson was a rower who lived in the area during the 1970s. One night, he discovered his wife in bed with another man and, devastated by the betrayal, went out for a solitary row. He never returned. Some versions claim he rowed over the dam on the Occoquan Reservoir; others suggest he deliberately jumped. Since then, members of the crew team have reported strange occurrences including early morning sightings near the docks and unexplained movements of gear, often attributing these to the lingering presence of Old Man Johnson’s ghost.

The legend is a prime example of folklore that remains contained within a specific folk group, in this case, the women’s crew team. Interviews conducted for an English 333 semester fieldwork project reveal that while the broader student population may not be aware of the story, it is commonly shared among team members, especially new recruits [7]. The way the story is told shows a lot about the crew team’s culture. Interviews show that relaxed moments, like long bus rides to regattas, are when teammates often share the story in detail. Many novices said they first heard it on the ride to Philadelphia, when older varsity members used it to entertain or lightly scare them. Even though some don’t actually believe in the ghost, they still pass the story along and often joke that “Old Man Johnson” is behind missing shoes or misplaced gear. The story functions as both a bonding ritual and a kind of initiation where new members (or “novices”) typically hear it from older, “varsity” teammates during practices or team trips. These interviews, which serve as valuable archival material, document not only the persistence of the legend but also its mutability across tellers. For example, novice rower Jessie includes a subplot involving a rivalry between Johnson and the man he caught with his wife, giving the story a more dramatic, personalized tone: “One night he came home and found his wife in bed with another man. I think he somehow knew the man. (pause). Oh, the man was another rower, like a rival or something.” In contrast, third-year rower Laurel tells a sadder version of the story, focusing on how upset Johnson was and how well he knew the river: “He was rowing so hard and so fiercely that he just rowed right over. Everyone knew it must have been suicide because he knew that river so well that it couldn't have been an accident.” The legend’s adaptability across individual tellers not only keeps it alive but also allows each storyteller to emphasize different emotional tones including drama, tragedy, or mystery, depending on their own interpretation or audience. 

Besides spreading within the team, the legend is also shared through George Mason’s Folklore Roundtable Haunted Tour. This helps it reach a wider audience and gives it a more official place in campus folklore. The Haunted Tour master sheet even includes a note: “Whenever something strange happens that no one admits to doing, the team says it was the work of Old Man Johnson,” showing that the story has been documented and preserved as part of the university’s larger folklore archive [18]. By looking at how the story changes while keeping the same basic ideas of tragedy, ghosts, and rowing, we can see how it helps build team identity while also becoming part of the broader campus culture.