My introduction for my Dad's induction:
To get started, there are 2 facets of my dad that I want to talk about this evening. The first side is Mark Johnson, the Coach.
Im a little biased when it comes to my dad, so I reached out to some former players for help and had them describe my dad as a coach. This is how they responded.
Committed.
He’s committed to doing the right thing. Committed to supporting his team, family, and co-workers. Committed to winning. Committed to encouraging, influencing, and promoting student-athletes.
Motivator
He knows how to motivate and to get more from people.
Inspiring
He inspires those who committed to him and inspires them to be more than they thought they could be.
Demanding
He demanded more from a program and school then anyone had done previously.
Addicting
He brings out the best in people. No matter how hard he’d ride you, you’d always come back for more.
Assertive. Fatherly. Legendary. Loyal. Tenacious. Passionate
When you look at his numbers as a head coach, they don’t pop out and say ‘WOW’ look at those numbers. In 26 years as a head coach, he’s 155-111. He’s never had a D-1 player. And he’s never won a state championship.
But what he has done is even more impressive in my opinion. He has turned programs from irrelevant to relevant. That takes a special coach. To change the culture of a program….of an entire town.
In his first years coaching in Malvern, Iowa, he had a 70% win percenage in a program that had only won 16% of the games in the past 3 decades. He’s the all-time winningnest coach in Malvern.
In another rebuilding project after struggling through the 80s, he led Monett to 3 conference championships in arguably the best Class 3 conference and 3 district championships.
But what I, and he, is most proud of is his time at Smith-Cotton. For some of you that may not know the history behind Smith-Cotton football, heres a quick refresher. From 1959-1998, that’s 40 seasons, S-C had 3 winning seasons. He’ll remember the days of showing up on his first day of summer weights to 3 football players. That was a Class 4 school at the time. Now you walk in the summer and you’ll see 80+. He’ll remind you of the first away game when there were less than 10 fans in the stands. 4 of which were myself, my 2 sisters and my Mom. But in 1999, after he took over…things started to turn around.
In my Dad’s 15-year tenure at S-C, he and his coaching staff led the Tigers to 8 winning seasons, 4 conference championships, 2 district titles, 2 state qualifier appearances, 1 quarterfinal appearance, and the first known undefeated since 1931. He finished 85-70 at Smith-Cotton—Making him the all-time winningest coach in its history.
But his work at Smith-Cotton is much more than just numbers and records. He brought pride back to a program and city that had been missing it for several decades. Go check out the stands now at our new stadium on a Friday night and you’ll see more than 10 people there. That’s what my Dad built in Sedalia.
The 2nd facet I want to talk about is Mark Johnson, the dad.
As most of you know, its an interesting dynamic growing up in a head coach’s family. We eat, sleep and breathe football. I went to my first football game at 7 days old. Looking at old baby pictures you’ll see us surrounded by Northwest Missouri State football jerseys, helmets, and footballs. Waking up on Saturday mornings to go exchange film and do tackle charts. This was pre-HUDL of course. Working on midline, inside veer, and outside mesh and reads in the front yard when you’re 9 years old. Helping with breaking down film in 3rd grade. Driving to two-a-days at 6 AM in 100 degree weather with the windows up and no air conditioning because in his words “You’ll feel how cool it is when you get out”. Getting to stand by him on the sidelines as a ball boy. Watching him coach in those famous spandex bike shorts while it was 20 degrees and snowing. These are my family’s memories.
Then I started playing for him which completely changed things. Anyone that has had a son play for them know what Im talking about. When your mom has to sit in the press box to escape the fans in the stands and your sisters have to hold back to keep from scolding someone for their complaints about the play calling, that’s when you know you’ve made it. When you listen to an argument at home about why the head coach decided to call a passing play in the closing minutes of the game and the QB (who will remain nameless) throws an interception even after the head coach specifically told him not to underthrow it and he did so anyway. Then you wake up to a Taco Bell burrito splattered to a wall the next morning. That’s when you know you’ve really made it.
I played my last game for my dad on November 14, 2008, and as I stood hugging and crying with my family after the loss, it became very clear at that point how much growing up a coach’s kid and playing for my dad meant to me. I realized I would no longer be on the sideline playing for my dad, but just a spectator who yells at the refs too much.
People often ask if it was difficult playing for my dad. And I answer the same way each time. I wouldn’t change a thing. Getting to spend time with him on the field, on the sideline, in the field house, and most importantly, at home. He is just overall an incredible human being with unbelievable morals that has endured and handled more than most. I may not be married, a dad, or a football coach, but he is truly someone I will always aspire to be and if I can be half the husband, father, and friend that he is…then Ill be exactly who I want to be.
My dad was more than a coach for many of our players. He was a father and a friend. And any athlete would’ve been lucky to have him by his side, just not as lucky as me…
And for that I thank you, Dad.
