Coach "Chena" Gilstrap (Arlington State JC and then later UTA) told this story in 1961 at a banquet held at Caldwell, Texas when they honored Johnny with "John Symank Day".   Coach Gilstrap said that he was in his office and received a call from a Mr. Bowers.  Mr. Bowers said that he had played football at Arlington in 1927-28 when they were called the Junior Aggies and that he had a kid to bring in that was a heck of a player.  Mr. Bowers and Johnny made the 2 ½ hour drive to Arlington.  Gilstrap said that right off the bat, he noticed that Johnny was a little less than 5'10" and weighed around 160 lbs. so he was a little skeptical about what Mr. Bowers had told him.   Mr. Bowers told him what a player Johnny was and if he would just offer Johnny a scholarship he would accept it.  Gilstrap then told them both that in Junior College the procedure was that he could get Johnny a job the first year and if he made the team, he would consider a scholarship for the second year.  Mr. Bowers then told Johnny to get up and told Gilstrap that he would take Johnny down to Tarleton J.C. (Arlington's big rival at that time) and said, “you can come back here and beat their ass.”  Gilstrap said, “now hold on, come on back and sit down.”  When they got through, Johnny had a full scholarship.  Gilstrap thought, what have I done, Mr. Bowers talked me into giving a kid I never heard of, a scholarship.  

Johnny reported for 2-a-days before school started that year and in the first morning practice (shoulder pads and shorts) Johnny was playing defensive back.  The quarterback threw a pass to a wide receiver and Johnny came flying through to intercept the ball and crashed into the old sandstone wall that was around the practice field.  Johnny lay there motionless and Gilstrap thought, here I have given this kid a scholarship and now he has hurt himself and probably won't play at all.  The ambulance came and transported Johnny to the hospital and the practice continued.  The team was having the afternoon practice, Gilstrap looked up and there was Johnny running out onto the practice field with a bandage on his head that looked like he was a wounded drummer from the Revolutionary War, that's when he knew he had a player.  Johnny went on to make Little All-American at Arlington, got recruited by the University of Florida where he is now in the Gator Hall of Fame.  He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 23rd round (which is unheard of today), started on two World Championship teams and is presently in the Green Bay Packer’s record books.  Johnny passed away in 2002. Johnny's dad had died when he was 6 years old and his mother raised him in a small rock home out at the Burleson County Fairgrounds. He proved that the scholarship was money well spent. – Dick Bowers