"coach j"

Simply Put

The Indian nation is in mourning with the passing of Chipola’s legendary Head Basketball Coach Milton H. Johnson. At both his viewing and funeral there were numerous stories recounted of how he had touched literally thousands of lives. I too, along with the thousands, have stories of how he touched my life and the lives of my family members.
Our family was first touched by Coach J in the 50’s when, as Head Basketball Coach at Campbellton, he coached against my father while Daddy was Head Coach at Marianna. I can tell you without any hesitation that, although the Wildcats beat the Bulldogs on plenty of occasions, my father had the utmost respect for Coach J.
In the early 70’s my oldest brother Terry was the starting point guard on the Indians basketball squad for two seasons. Those familiar with the game of basketball know that there is a special bond between the Head Coach and a point guard. That point guard becomes an extension of the coach. My brother, like my father, had the utmost respect for Coach J.
I rolled into Chipola in the late 70’s. Needing some P.E. classes I signed up for badminton. Having played tennis all my life I figured it would be an easy and fun class. And it was, in large part due to the instructor being Coach J. I’d like to think that he took a special liking to me because of his past relationships with my father and brother. But in reality he made everyone feel that he took a special liking to them. That was just part of his attributes, to make everyone feel special.
At his funeral Gordon Wells spoke of Coach J’s fondness for the game of badminton. I can attest to that fondness and his ability to play the game. When the semester started, being young and a little brash, some of us boys challenged Coach J to games of badminton. Suffice it to say, he humbled us and beat us like a drum. Our youthful pride was smashed, but he was a gracious winner and correctly predicted that we would be able to beat him before the semester was over as we learned more about the game and used our youthful athleticism. He was right about that too.
John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at UCLA, is one of my heroes in life. Coach J and Coach Wooden had some similarities in their coaching styles. Not a lot of yelling and hollering. They didn’t humiliate their players. They were motivators instead of intimidators.
Coach J’s accomplishments in the game of basketball are overwhelming. But to me his most astounding accomplishment on the floor is that in 32 years of coaching at Chipola, he never got a technical foul. Simply Put, I can think of no other measurement that speaks more volumes about the man, his character and integrity.

From the front porch: Coach said excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.