Christopher Newport has seen much success in track and field over the years, and Louis Johnson has always been a part of it. Johnson, who served as Interim Head Coach for the 2005-06 season after the retirement of former head coach Vince Brown, has been assisting the track team since 1987 when he joined Brown as a volunteer assistant.
Since that time he has coached 15 national champions in the sprints and 400-meter relay. In 1990 he had the distinction of becoming the first sprint coach to have his athletes win 55 meter titles for both men and women at the same NCAA championships. Sheila Trice won in 7.07 and Ed Milling in 6.42.
Johnson began his track career in the 1960s, but although his career was cut short by injuries he remained in competition in later years in the U.S. Air Force and as a member of the Newport News, Va., Police Force, representing the department in several Law Enforcement Olympics. He also represented the United States at the PanAm Masters Games in Toronto, winning silver medals in the 110 hurdles and 100 meters and a gold medal in the 400 meter relay.
He also took the same medals in the same events in the International Law Enforcement Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Johnson started his coaching career in 1985 at Menchville H.S. in Newport News working with highlyacclaimed coaches Charlie Nuttycombe and Doug Dickinson.
During his 23 years at CNU he has worked with over 300 All-Americans and has coached 34 400-meter relay teams and 80 male and female athletes. He is a member of the United States Track Coaches Association, the NCAA Track Coaches Association, USA Track and Field and is the Commissioner of the Mason-Dixon Conference, the oldest track conference in the country.
Johnson is a USA Track & Field Level II Certified coach in the sprints, hurdles, relays and jumps and is a Level I Instructor. He has completed a study on the different phases of the sprint start and designed a program specifically to break down a sprint race in cycles, from the reaction time to the last stride of the race. Using this information he was able to lower two of his female sprinters times from 12.48 to 11.95 before the finals of the 2002 NCAA Championships.
He is a father of two, and a grandfather of four.
