BALTIMORE — Starting from his grade school days in Augusta, Georgia, Jimmie Olden Johnson Jr., has leveraged his football skills to rise from an inner-city playground kid to the holy grail known as the National Football League. And now, he’s bringing those skills to HBCU Morgan State University in Baltimore.
In a recent interview with Black News & Views, Johnson, who now lives in Baltimore, reflected positively on his upbringing in what’s often described as a dangerous section of Augusta to become a nationally-acclaimed high school athlete — one talented enough to attract major college recruiters to the “Garden City,” Augusta’s nickname, to check out his talents.
After experiencing success as a prep-school athlete, Johnson excelled with Howard University’s Bisons football team and spent 10 successful seasons in the NFL. After retirement, Johnson provided his knowledge and skills to several colleges and professional football teams. He recently signed on with the Morgan State University Bears football program as assistant offensive line coach under head coach Damon Wilson.
As with other former professional athletes, Johnson brings a wealth of knowledge, skills, and mentorship to the collegiate level.
In what’s becoming a growing national trend, athletic departments from Historically Black Colleges and Universities are now hiring former professional athletes to lead their collegiate programs — primarily in football and basketball.
In concert with the 2020 hiring of Deion “Prime Time” Sanders as head coach of the Jackson State Tigers football team in Jackson, Mississippi, several pro athletes are now working at HBCUs including former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, now leading the Norfolk State University football team, former Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, head coach at HBCU Delaware State University in Dover, and former Tampa Bay Super Bowl-winning wideout Reggie Barlow, who is taking the head coaching job at Tennessee State University.
In basketball, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke now heads the Texas Southern ladies’ program. Cooper-Dyke won four consecutive WNBA titles with the Houston Comets. And former University of Maryland Terrapins star Juan Dixon leads the hoops program at Coppin State University in Baltimore. Dixon, a Baltimore native, spent seven years with four teams in the NBA.
Morgan State’s first female athletic director, Dena Freeman-Patton, says the university’s football program is elated that Johnson is joining its ranks.
“Coach Johnson’s professional pedigree is highly welcomed in developing and mentoring young men on our team,” Freeman-Patton said.
The Bears are looking to improve on a 6-6 record last season in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
Johnson’s beginnings in the collegiate world
After enjoying a highly successful high school career in basketball and football in Augusta, Georgia, Johnson was heavily recruited by predominately white colleges.
Johnson said that he ultimately chose to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C., often called the Harvard of HBCUs. Johnson says he has no regrets about choosing to attend an HBCU.
“I knew about Howard’s academic reputation — that was important to me — but in high school, I excelled in both football and basketball, so I really wanted to go to a school that allowed me to play both sports,” Johnson said.
His high school coach’s ties to Howard also helped determine his route to the nation’s capital.
“Our assistant football coach at T.W. Josey High School [in Augusta], Isaac Arnold, and Howard’s head coach at the time, Willie Jefferies, were fraternity brothers and Coach Jefferies assured me, my parents, and Coach Arnold, that I would be well taken care of — if I moved to D.C. from Augusta. Plus, I’d be allowed to play both sports,” Johnson recalled.
Ultimately, Johnson became an award-winning tight end with the Howard Bisons and played hoops there his senior year. After red-shirting, or staying out of competition to develop his skills, his freshman year, he excelled on the gridiron his final four seasons.
As a fifth-year senior, he was selected for the first-team All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, a team recognizing the MEAC’s best players, and became a two-time member of the Sheridan Broadcasting Black College All America teams in 1987 and 1988. Johnson graduated from Howard in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in consumer studies.
Georgia roots
Johnson warmly speaks of growing up on 15th Avenue in Augusta, near the Nellieville neighborhood, and developing his athleticism on the dusty ball fields and concrete basketball courts of Doughty Park.
During frequent trips home, he reconnects with family and his home congregation, Mt. Sinai Baptist Church.
As the son of Carolyn McZorn Johnson and the late Jimmie Olden Johnson Sr., the younger Johnson said he grew up in a loving, working-class home.
“Me and my friends got into scraps, but nothing close to what occurs these days. We had our fights, made up, and the next day were back playing again,” he said.
“My dad was the enforcer. Anytime I got out-of-pocket, my mother would threaten us by saying, ‘wait ‘til your father gets home.’ My father was a good man, but he was definitely in charge.”
Augusta-area live music enthusiasts will probably recall Jimmie Johnson Sr., as a lead singer for several R&B soul music bands during the 1980s and 1990s. Jimmie’s younger sister, Felicia Johnson-Madison, played basketball at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Johnson, who is single, is the proud father of six children. All four of his sons: Jimmie O. Johnson III, Bradley Bush-Johnson, Jamal Johnson and Jordan Johnson, played collegiate football, while his oldest daughter, Courtney Johnson, is also a Howard University graduate. His youngest daughter, Savannah Johnson, is a member of her high school’s volleyball, basketball and track teams.
“All the boys got scholarships and that saved daddy a lot of money,” Johnson said with a smile.
After a successful 10-year NFL career, including three years with the Washington Redskins (now Commanders), Johnson earned a Super Bowl XXVI ring after his team’s victory over the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 26, 1992.
Since retiring from the NFL in 1998, Johnson has continued his football career as a successful coach in both college and professional ranks. He also spent his newly-acquired spare time earning an MBA from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Even after pledging Omega Psi Phi in college, he said he maintained his focus on good grades and staying in physical shape.
“I’ve always had a certain drive and work ethic – even as a kid. I never wanted to lose. Early on, I always wanted to be the best. I never needed anyone to motivate me. Not even my parents or coaches. Whether it was about working out, or lifting weights, I knew it would take hard work to get to the next level and it paid off,” he said.
