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05-26-2005, 08:22 AM
http://www.aggieathletics.com/specialsites/regional/teams/pics/johnson.jpg REMEMBERING MARK JOHNSON
The End of an Era
Mark Johnson ends his aggie career the winningest baseball coach in school history. After taking over for another longtime Texas A&M head coach Tom Chandler, Johnson complied a 876-433-3 in 21 seasons, with two College World Series berths. Mark has received many distinctions in his long head coaching career, including The Sporting News National Coach of the Year and being honored by the USA Baseball Organization as the head coach of the 1999 USA Baseball National Team.
Mark Johnson attended New Mexico during his collegiate career and earned All-Western Athletic Conference Honors in baseball. After his college career, Johnson wanted to become a major league baseball player. He went on to play for the Mets farm system from 1967-1969, but he never got called up to the major league team. He went back to New Mexico and was an Elementary School PE coach until Arizona offered a one year deal as an assistant coach. Johnson was rehired after that year by the most important early influence in his coaching career. Johnson later said about Arizona head coach Jerry Kindall, “Not only did I get a chance to receive the greatest baseball education I could get, but I also learned how to be a Christian coach.” Baseball and Christianity went on to be the dominating influences in his life.
After five years and winning the national title at Arizona in 1976, Johnson left to become an assistant under Ron Polk at Mississippi State. Johnson continued his coaching education under the Hall of Famer, Coach Polk for six years. Then, he decided to accept another assistant coach’s job with Tom Chandler at Texas A&M in 1983. Johnson knew Chandler was getting ready to retire and hoped he would get the job. After the 1984 season Tom Chandler retired as head coach and Johnson was selected by former A&M athletic director Jackie Sherrill to serve as head coach.
After he became the head coach at Texas A&M, Johnson started to show his prowess on the baseball diamond and with his faith. On the baseball field, Johnson has averaged 42 victories a year for the Aggies over his 21 years as head coach. The record for victories before Johnson became head coach was 41 by Tom Chandler in 1984. In 1998 and 1999 Johnson won back to back Big XII Championships, with a College World Series appearance in 1999. However, given all this success, Johnson still goes back to only one thing, his faith. The Christian faith is self-admittedly the most important thing in his life. He is involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and he speaks at various church functions, events such as Breakaway on campus, and baseball clinics. Johnson doesn’t mix baseball and faith with his team however. Johnston’s famous quote about this topic was, “I don’t think God pays a whole lot of attention to who wins or loses a ballgame," Johnson said. "I think God could certainly control the outcome of a ballgame if He so chose. But to say God won this ballgame for us, I think is a little far-reaching. "That statement says God lost the game for the other team; that they must be heathens or something.”
Even with all this success, Johnson has had to deal with nagging questions surrounding teams such as the 1989 and 1993 squads. The 1989 Aggie baseball team was the #1 team in the country and lost to a loser bracket team twice at Olsen Field in the NCAA Regional. It is easily the most disappointing moment in his Aggie career. The 1993 team were the SWC champions and got to the CWS, but put a bad showing once they got to Omaha. The problem was the announcers for the game against LSU were questioning Mark’s judgment in leaving in Trey Moore, when a reliever was ready in the pen. After three extra base hits Johnson pulled Moore for Clemens who faired even worse. Johnson received negative mail from all over the country regarding his handling of the pitching staff.
However through all of this, Johnson has persevered and done nothing but bring Aggie baseball out of the wilderness and into the modern era. He made the right calls and wrong calls, but he always believed in himself, his faith, and his team. Johnson should be remembered for the 2 CWS appearances, 3 SWC Championships, 2 Big XII Championships, 13 NCAA appearances, 2-time Big XII coach of the Year, his induction into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001, and his most importantly his devotion to Texas A&M. Mark Johnson, we Aggies were proud to call you coach for 21 years, thank you for lending our institution your abilities.
The End of an Era
Mark Johnson ends his aggie career the winningest baseball coach in school history. After taking over for another longtime Texas A&M head coach Tom Chandler, Johnson complied a 876-433-3 in 21 seasons, with two College World Series berths. Mark has received many distinctions in his long head coaching career, including The Sporting News National Coach of the Year and being honored by the USA Baseball Organization as the head coach of the 1999 USA Baseball National Team.
Mark Johnson attended New Mexico during his collegiate career and earned All-Western Athletic Conference Honors in baseball. After his college career, Johnson wanted to become a major league baseball player. He went on to play for the Mets farm system from 1967-1969, but he never got called up to the major league team. He went back to New Mexico and was an Elementary School PE coach until Arizona offered a one year deal as an assistant coach. Johnson was rehired after that year by the most important early influence in his coaching career. Johnson later said about Arizona head coach Jerry Kindall, “Not only did I get a chance to receive the greatest baseball education I could get, but I also learned how to be a Christian coach.” Baseball and Christianity went on to be the dominating influences in his life.
After five years and winning the national title at Arizona in 1976, Johnson left to become an assistant under Ron Polk at Mississippi State. Johnson continued his coaching education under the Hall of Famer, Coach Polk for six years. Then, he decided to accept another assistant coach’s job with Tom Chandler at Texas A&M in 1983. Johnson knew Chandler was getting ready to retire and hoped he would get the job. After the 1984 season Tom Chandler retired as head coach and Johnson was selected by former A&M athletic director Jackie Sherrill to serve as head coach.
After he became the head coach at Texas A&M, Johnson started to show his prowess on the baseball diamond and with his faith. On the baseball field, Johnson has averaged 42 victories a year for the Aggies over his 21 years as head coach. The record for victories before Johnson became head coach was 41 by Tom Chandler in 1984. In 1998 and 1999 Johnson won back to back Big XII Championships, with a College World Series appearance in 1999. However, given all this success, Johnson still goes back to only one thing, his faith. The Christian faith is self-admittedly the most important thing in his life. He is involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and he speaks at various church functions, events such as Breakaway on campus, and baseball clinics. Johnson doesn’t mix baseball and faith with his team however. Johnston’s famous quote about this topic was, “I don’t think God pays a whole lot of attention to who wins or loses a ballgame," Johnson said. "I think God could certainly control the outcome of a ballgame if He so chose. But to say God won this ballgame for us, I think is a little far-reaching. "That statement says God lost the game for the other team; that they must be heathens or something.”
Even with all this success, Johnson has had to deal with nagging questions surrounding teams such as the 1989 and 1993 squads. The 1989 Aggie baseball team was the #1 team in the country and lost to a loser bracket team twice at Olsen Field in the NCAA Regional. It is easily the most disappointing moment in his Aggie career. The 1993 team were the SWC champions and got to the CWS, but put a bad showing once they got to Omaha. The problem was the announcers for the game against LSU were questioning Mark’s judgment in leaving in Trey Moore, when a reliever was ready in the pen. After three extra base hits Johnson pulled Moore for Clemens who faired even worse. Johnson received negative mail from all over the country regarding his handling of the pitching staff.
However through all of this, Johnson has persevered and done nothing but bring Aggie baseball out of the wilderness and into the modern era. He made the right calls and wrong calls, but he always believed in himself, his faith, and his team. Johnson should be remembered for the 2 CWS appearances, 3 SWC Championships, 2 Big XII Championships, 13 NCAA appearances, 2-time Big XII coach of the Year, his induction into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001, and his most importantly his devotion to Texas A&M. Mark Johnson, we Aggies were proud to call you coach for 21 years, thank you for lending our institution your abilities.