Johnson was born in Helena, Arkansas, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan with his two brothers and sisters. One brother Ron Johnson, was an NFL running back from 1969-76. Alex played sandlot ball with Bill Freehan, Willie Horton, and Dennis Ribant.\n', '

Johnson attended Northwestern High School, where he excelled as an offensive lineman for the school\'s football team. He received a scholarship offer to attend Michigan State University to play football for the Michigan State Spartans, but opted to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies instead.\n', '

Johnson worked his way up the ranks quickly in the Phillies\' farm system, batting .322 with 40 home runs and 187 runs batted in across two seasons to earn a spot on the Phillies\' bench for the start of the 1964 season. However, he was optioned back to the Arkansas Travelers of the Pacific Coast League without having logged a major league at-bat in order to make room on the major league roster for relief pitcher Ed Roebuck, who was acquired from the Washington Senators shortly after the season started.\n', '

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