DOB: 20 November 1956
Debut: Round 1, 1982 against Sydney at SCG
Last Game: Round 15, 1990 against Geelong at Kardinia Park
From: Perth, Selection #1 1981 VFL Draft
Number: 9 (1982-1990)
Honours:
Best and Fairest - 1983, 1989
Grand Final team - 1988
Western Australia state player - 1982, 1988
MFC Hall of Fame - 2013
Life Member - 2014
Games: 135
Goals: 95
Career Statistics
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Winning % |
| 66 | 0 | 69 | 48.88 |
Taken with the first pick in the short-lived original version of the VFL Draft, Johnson arrived as a wingman who had played for Western Australian and been vice-captain of Perth. Richmond was also interested in him but as the last placed side, Melbourne could get in first and secure a $40,000 transfer fee. Johnson arrived having recently battled multiple soft tissue injuries but won Melbourne's Best and Fairest in his second year and was one the Demons' best in their early 80s dark era. He came with five years of WAFL senior experience, including two premierships. Midway through 1981 both Melbourne and Richmond made offers to sign him, but weren't able to get him out of WA and the Demons had to wait for the draft to secure his rights. He arrived on a three year contract.
A regular in his first three seasons, Johnson still battled injuries. After recovering from an operation on his Achilles tendon before the 1983 season, he suffered a broken hand from a teammate falling on it during training. In 1985 he only played 13 games, and considered returning to the WAFL at the end of the year where he was only one season from life membership with Perth. He remained, and took on a new role as a rover in 1986. Johnson was one of the side's best players early in the year before a calf injury, then a broken thumb put him out of the side. He injured as shoulder on his third return and missed the last two weeks of the season. Despite the injury trouble he was given a two year contract extension.
In 1987, just as the side started to build towards a finals tilt, Johnson tore the hamstring from the back of his knee and missed the second half of the year. He recovered towards the end of the year but couldn't force his way back into a winning side for the finals campaign. Returning as a defender in 1988 Johnson played 25 of 26 matches for the year, missing only round 1 and was one of the few Demons to come out of that year's Grand Final debacle with any credit.
Johnson became the club's oldest ever Best and Fairest winner when he took his second award aged 32 years and 315 days in 1989. His win came despite missing three weeks late in the season with a knee injury.
He lasted just one more season and retired at the end of 1990. A hamstring injury in a night series game had delayed the start of his year until Round 4, 1990. He hurt his calf and didn't reappear until Round 10, 1990, where he played six games in a row before dropping out of the side again. He missed the last six weeks of the season with damaged ligaments, and an attempt to break back into the senior side before the Elimination Final failed.
Melbourne retained Johnson on their list in 1991 and tried to convince him to return, but he was content to start a coaching career in the amateurs, including Old Trinity from 1991 to 1994 and Keilor Park in 2000. He led Old Trinity to B Section premierships in 1992 and 1994.
The father of Chris Johnson, Alan openly criticised the club about the circumstances surrounding his son's delisting and subsequent departure to Carlton. Johnson returned to the fold at the 2014 Annual General Meeting where he was named a Life Member.
| Year | Games | Goals | Brownlow |
| 1982 | 17 | 20 | 8 |
| 1983 | 18 | 11 | 6 |
| 1984 | 16 | 16 | 6 |
| 1985 | 13 | 10 | 2 |
| 1986 | 10 | 9 | 7 |
| 1987 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
| 1988 | 25 | 13 | 5 |
| 1989 | 20 | 4 | 6 |
| 1990 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
Lists
Family
First draft picks
Interstate recruits
WAFL
Video
Media
Westside Football - 08/05/1981. 03/07/1981, 01/05/1986, 31/03/1983
Inside Football - 02/07/1981, 20/03/1986, 15/05/1986, 25/09/1986, 01/03/1989
Age - 07/05/1986, 16/07/1986, 22/08/1986, 28/03/1993, 02/09/2000
Canberra Times - 25/02/1990, 08/09/1990
melbournefc.com.au - 05/02/2015
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