John Watts (judoka)

John Watts (born April 23, 1944)^[3] is a retired American judoka who competed at the 1972 Olympics in the open weight category.^[4] Watts weighed 280 lbs when he started training in judo in August 1966 ^[5] and that year entered the Air Force Championships where he defeated Paul Maruyama.^[6] Watts was quickly promoted to brown belt,^[7] and placed in the 1967 US Nationals.^[3] He also competed in the International Military Sports Council games.^[1]

John Watts

Personal information
Birth name	Johnny Marion Watts
Full name	Johnny Marion Watts, Sr.
Born	(1944-04-23) 23 April 1944 (age 81) Jefferson, Texas, United States
Died	San Bernardino, Ca
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Weight	300 lb (140 kg)[1]
Sport
Sport	Judo
Club	US Air Force
Coached by	Ben Nighthorse Campbell[2]
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1972 Olympics, München, Germany 11T

John Watts was born in Texas and played football there. He was offered a scholarship to play football by Grambling and Florida A&M but chose to join the Air Force.^[1]