Fiesta Bowl Winner Ian Johnson Faces Racial Threats
Ian Johnson became a legend when a brought his Boise State team the winning points they needed to win the Fiesta Bowl and the proceeded to propose on national television to his cheerleader girlfriend. But there is a problem that has arisen from his proposal, one that neither of them expected to face.
Ian Johnson has requested security for the wedding after receiving multiple racial threats. Ian Johnson, who is black, and Chrissy Popadics, who is white, are due to be married Saturday in Boise. Since his Jan. 1 proposal, Johnson said, he has received phone calls, letters and some personal threats from people who object to their marriage plans.
“You take it for what it is, the less educated, the less willing to change,” Johnson, 21, of San Dimas, Calif., told the Idaho Statesman for its Tuesday editions. “But we’re not acting like we’re naive to all the stuff that’s going on. We know what’s been said. We’re going to make sure we’re safe at all times. It’s an amazing day for us, and we’d hate to have it ruined by someone.”
“It’s really sad because a lot of people that are probably doing it are the same people who were cheering me on,” Johnson said. A Boise State football spokesman, Todd Miles, said Tuesday that Johnson hoped to put the matter behind him and did not want to discuss it further. Popadics’ family said she was not available.