223 Freeman Center
o. 757-594-7892
c. 757-532-7483
jjbiglou2@aol.com
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223 Freeman Center |
2007-08 Christopher Newport has seen much success in track and field over the years, and Louis Johnson has always been a part of it. Johnson has been assisting the track team since 1987 when he joined former coach Vince 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, and 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 highly-acclaimed coaches Charlie Nuttycombe and Doug Dickinson. During his 21 years at CNU he has worked with over 300 All-Americans, adding five more at the 2007 Outdoor Championships. He currently serves as the Commissioner of the Mason-Dixon Conference, the oldest Track & amp; Field conference in the country. Johnson is a USA Track & Field Level 2 Coach in the Sprints/Hurdles/Relays as well as the Jumps and is a Level 1 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.