Bob Johnson was innate around Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 4, 1931. He attended Minneapolis Central High School & a University of Minnesota, where he played hockey under legendary coach John Mariucci.

When serving as a medic during the Korean War, Johnson began his coaching career at the senior high within Warroad, Minnesota. He late coached hockey at Roosevelt High School inside Minneapolis. He became a head hockey coach at Colorado College in 1963.

Around 1966, he moved to the University of Wisconsin, where he was head coach until 1981. He led a Badgers to vii NCAA tournaments, winning three championships around 1973, 1977, and 1981. It was at Wisconsin in which Johnson earned a nickname, "Badger Bob."

He coached a 1976 US Olympic hockey team, the 1981, 1984 and 1987 US teams in the Canada Cup tournament, and a 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1981 US national teams.

Inside 1982 Johnson began his National Hockey League career when he became a head coach of the Calgary Flames, a position he held for 5 seasons. Inside 1990, he was named a head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Inside his number one year, he led a team, which was led by whizz Mario Lemieux, to a Stanley Cup championship victory on top a Minnesota North Stars, four games to ii.

Shortly when a Penguins won a Stanley Ventral suction cup, Johnson was diagnosed by having brain cancer. He turned his coaching job duties concluded to Scotty Bowman and began treatment.

Johnson died of brawithin cancer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on November 26, 1991.

He was inducted into a United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 and a Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.