Betty Wold Johnson, the mother of Jets owners Christopher Johnson and Woody Johnson, has died at the age of 99.
Although she did not have a formal role in the Jets’ front office, Johnson loved the team her sons ran and referred to the players as her grandchildren. Former Jet Darrelle Revis wrote on Twitter of a memory that exemplified her treatment of the team.
“Sept. 23rd, 2012, Week 3 against the Dolphins I tear my ACL in the 3rd quarter,” Revis wrote. “As I’m leaving the locker room the first person I was greeted by is Betty Wold Johnson. At the lowest point of my career she happen to share some words of encouragement. May you Rest In Peace.”
Jets Hall of Famer Curtis Martin offered similar memories.
“She was just such a wonderful woman,” Martin said. “She was definitely the First Lady of the Jets. She had such a presence there. And as far as the players being like grandchildren to her, I can definitely see that because she was such a warm person. She had a personal interest rooting for the Jets, but just her energy, she had a younger person’s energy. And she was just very approachable to everyone who met her. I just loved her as a human being.”
Betty Wold was born and raised in Minnesota and attended University of Minnesota games in the 1930s, when the Golden Gophers were a national powerhouse. She married Robert Wood Johnson III and had five children.