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"Pay it Forward" wasn't just the name of a 2000 film starring Kevin Spacey. It has also been a credo for at least one Virginia alumnus. Craig Johnson (Curry '75, Educ. '76) of Virginia Beach knows firsthand the importance of receiving financial aid from the university's department of athletics. Johnson served as a football, basketball and la- crosse student athletic trainer from 1972-76 under the tutelage of sports medicine giants Dr. Frank Mc- Cue, UVA's longtime team physician, and Dr. Joe Gieck, head athletic trainer at that time. In 1972, he received a work-study stipend of $40 a month. As a graduate assistant athletic trainer in 1976, the payment had climbed to $100. "Every little bit helped a lot," he said. As a direct recipient of the department's generosity, and as a VAF donor for the past 35 consecutive years, Johnson believes that his family has an obligation to "pay it forward" by giving as much as possible to sup- port the future players and the teams that wear the Orange and Blue. "We cannot expect to continue to recruit scholar athletes with such high personal integrity and world- class physical abilities without a full commitment to providing them with the best academic opportunities and practice and training facilities possible," Johnson said. Johnson has been a football season ticket holder for more than 20 years, and also has season tickets for men's and women's basketball, lacrosse and baseball. He proudly contributed in a small way to the George Welsh Indoor Football Practice Facility, the building of the McCue Center, and two endowed chairs honoring Dr. Gieck and the late, legendary baseball coach Dr. James O. West. "What I have gained personally and professionally as a result of my many years being affiliated with the Virginia athletics family is more than I could ever pay back," Johnson said. "The happy memories of watching Barry Parkhill drop 51 points against Baldwin Wallace in 1971, being the grad assistant when Wally Walker and the boys won [UVA's] first ACC Basketball Tournament in 1976 and finally beating Clemson in football after many years of frustration are all things that I hold most dear." After 20 years, Johnson and his wife Pat (Educ. '78) recently moved from Ivy, Va., back to Virginia Beach. But their commitment to the VAF and the services it provides for scholarships and facilities still remains strong. "I would encourage everyone to step up and increase their annual pledge by 10 percent this year," Johnson said. "We were rewarded in 2015 with the Capital One Cup for athletic excellence. "Let's get behind these kids and these programs financially, so that we can all enjoy a few new national championship trophies around Grounds." — Mike Scandura WAHOO NATION CRAIG JOHNSON Johnson (far right) — seen here with his family, from left to right, wife Pat Valditis Johnson, daughter Meredith Johnson Dibert and son Cameron John- son — served as a football, basketball and lacrosse student athletic trainer at UVA from 1972-76. PHOTO COURTESY CRAIG JOHNSON