The phrase "legendary" gets tossed around too easily when discussing athletic personalities, but nobody who's competed for, worked with, or competed against Leon Johnson would disagree that he's approaching legendary status as a track and field coach.
As he enters his 31st season in charge of track and field at Northwestern State, he retains the same joy for coaching and teaching, the
same burning competitive drive to excel and the same humble and diligent approach to every day.
Those who are called "legends" in their chosen field always carry with them a passion for what they do, and they consistently achieve at a level that exceeds the grandest expectations.
So it is with Johnson, whose stature is already "legendary" in Louisiana High School track and field circles, and in collegiate track and field, he's an icon among his peers across the nation.
When disagreement erupted at the 2005 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships over how to restart the rain-delayed competition in the 200, a room full of coaches and NCAA officials quickly turned to hear Johnson's perspective.
At Southland Conference championship events over the past 10+ years, league and meet officials have always sought Johnson's counsel on rules and administrative issues.
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association has been holding its all-classifications state cross country championships at Northwestern for more than a decade, relying on Johnson and his staff for smooth management of a massive event involving thousands of competitors from every corner of the state.
In two of the last three Olympic Games, one of Johnson's athletes has competed for Team USA -- both triple jumpers, LaMark Carter in the 2000 Sydney Games and Kenta Bell in the 2004 Athens Games.
Johnson's son, Dean, who spent more than 15 seasons working under his father after competing for him at NSU, is today regarded by USA Track and Field as one of the nation's bright horizontal jumps coaches.
Johnson also tutored Lady Demon head coach Mike Heimerman, who also competed for the Demons in the mid-1990s in the shot and discus. Heimerman has emerged as one of the country's top young throws coaches, as ten of NSU’s last 11 All-American awards have been won by Heimerman-trained competitors. He has coached 19 athletes who have reached the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In the last six years, 11 javelin throwers surpassed the NCAA qualifying standard.
Speaking of All-Americans, Johnson has produced 52 in his 31 seasons as coach. In track and field, there is no subjectivity, that honor is earned by placement at the national meet, measured against every Division I competitor in the country in each event.
In his fifth decade of coaching, Johnson still brings a youthful energy to each day. Watching him at practice or in a competition, he is constantly in motion, offering encouragement, motivation and technical advice to his athletes.
He is, as well, part of the heart and soul of the Northwestern athletic department, which is enjoying perhaps its most sustained stretch of across-the-board success in school history, based on the number of Southland Conference championships and NCAA postseason appearances by teams in the past decade. Athletic director Greg Burke attributes a significant share of the credit to Johnson, whose persona has made him a role model to coaches and staff in every sport during the past decade.
Basketball coach Mike McConathy invited Johnson along with the team on a 2006 trip to Hawaii as a token of admiration for his mentorship, friendship, selflessness and loyalty – qualities that can’t be taken for granted in today’s environment.
Whether or not the word "legendary" fits him yet (and he wouldn’t accept that idea), there's been no doubt for years that "unselfish" does, along with the description as "a team player" and a "caring colleague and coach."
He's won a wall full of Coach of the Year honors in the longest tenure of any track coach in Northwestern sports history. Johnson has become the dean of track and field coaches at Northwestern and in the state of Louisiana. During those years, he has not only continued, but enhanced the reputation of NSU as a program that has remained remarkably competitive nationally, standing the test of time.
Johnson has coached NSU to Top 20 finishes in both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division I Championships.
He has led the Demons to nine conference championships and been named conference Coach of the Year eight times. A
s a prep coach, he was named state Coach of the Year three times.
He's served as meet referee for the prestigious Oklahoman Daily Classic Indoor Meet and served on the NCAA Championships Throws Jury.
At Northwestern, he started the Lady Demon track and field program. In 1999, Johnson was inducted in the Graduate N Club Hall of Fame in tribute to his accomplishments and dedication to NSU and its track and field program.
For 16 consecutive seasons from 1989-2005, the Demons finished in the top half of the men’s team standings at the Southland Conference Outdoors. For 10 straight years, 1996-2005, Northwestern was the top scoring Louisiana team in the SLC men’s standings. After Johnson has shaped a tremendous recruiting class, the Demons look ready to return to form.
Prior to being appointed head coach at NSU in the fall of 1982, Johnson coached at DeRidder High School. While there, he won the Louisiana Class AAA state title and was named the high school track and field coach of the year in 1982. During this stint, he twice led the Dragons to second place finishes in the state cross country competition.
Before going to DeRidder, Johnson coached at Opelousas High School from 1965 until 1974 where he established a tradition of dominant track and field teams which still exists today. After being appointed as head coach in 1970, Johnson's Opelousas teams dominated the Class AAAA state ranks like no other team in Louisiana, winning state titles in 1971 and 1972 and finishing as state runners-up in 1973 and 1974. During this time period Johnson worked with legendary coach Claude Paxton who coached 1972 Olympic gold medalist Rodney Milburn at Southern.
Johnson began his career at Grand Valley (CO) High School on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains where he coached cross country, basketball and track for two years. His stay was highlighted by a fourth place finish in the state basketball tournament during his first campaign.
A devotee of the sport, Johnson continues to be a source of information for many high school coaches who consult with him on an individual basis. Johnson was one of the first coaches to become Level I and Level II certified by USA Track and Field in the Sprints, Hurdles and Relays.
A native of Elmore City, Oklahoma, Johnson graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana where he was a distance runner on the cross country and track teams and also went out for football. In 1971 he returned to earn his master's in secondary education.
He is married to the former Elaine Waters of Lafayette with whom he has four children: sons Dean and Kendon and daughters Darla and Molly. He is a proud grandfather, a member of the Church of Christ and a devoted volunteer for the Special Olympics and several other charities.
