Chris Johnson Position: Associate Head Coach

Fourth Year at Penn State
Alma Mater: Lamar University 1999
E-Mail: cpj3@psu.edu
Office Phone: 814-863-3147

After completing his fourth year overseeing the Nittany Lions' sprints, hurdles, and relays contingent as an assistant coach, Chris Johnson will begin his first year as Associate Head Coach in 2008-09. Johnson joined the Nittany Lion women in 2004, and began coaching the Penn State men in 2006, making an immeasurable impact on both programs. Johnson's athletes fired on all cylinders in 2008, including national championship finishes from Shana Cox in the 400-meters, and Dominique Blake, Aleesha Barber, Gayle Hunter, and Cox in the 4x400-meter relay. In just four years in Happy Valley, Johnson has overseen a total of 29 NCAA All-Americans, one Olympian, nine Big Ten individual champions, and eight winning conference relays.

Johnson's athletes have rewritten the Penn State record books over the past four years, as Johnson-coach sprinters now own nearly 20 school standards, including every event from 300-through-1000-meters indoors, as well as all hurdling and relay events. Outside, Johnson-coached athletes own a total of six records, including the mile relay's blistering 3:27.69 - the top collegiate mark in 2008. Johnson's efforts were recognized by his colleagues in 2008, as he was voted Mid-Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year during both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Johnson led Cox, arguably the greatest athlete to ever wear the Blue and White, to an astounding total of 11 All-America honors over her Nittany Lion career. In 2008, Cox's 50.84 400 meters not only broke her own Penn State record, but was also the fastest time by a collegian in 2008, and the fifth fastest by an American. Johnson had Cox in top shape in 2008, as she closed out her Penn State career going undefeated in the 400 during the outdoor collegiate season, while collecting six Big Ten titles, three NCAA East Region victories, and Mid-Atlantic Region, Big Ten, and Penn State Athlete of the Year citations. Under Johnson's watch, Cox captured 15 Big Ten victories and now owns a grand total of eight Penn State records.

Johnson also led Barber to unparalleled heights in 2008, including school records in the 55, 60, and 100-meter hurdles. Barber, who would finish fourth in the short hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, made Penn State history in 2008, becoming the first Nittany Lion woman to qualify individually for the Olympic Games, as she earned a slot in the 100 hurdles, competing for Trinidad and Tobago. Johnson would lead Barber to record-setting weekend at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, where the redshirt sophomore tallied a win in the 100 hurdles, and second-place efforts in the 100-meters, 400 hurdles, and 4x100-meter relay.

Johnson's 4x400 was just as outstanding in 2008, picking up the Lions' first Penn Relays victory during the women's NCAA era, as well as conference, regional, and national titles. Johnson's relay collected its fifth-straight 4x400 victory at the Big Ten Indoor Championships (Blake, Simmons, Barber, Cox), before claiming fifth-place honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships (Blake, Barber, Cox, Dorr) earning an All-American finish for the second-consecutive year.

Playing a huge role in Penn State's record-setting fourth-place effort at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Johnson's charges posted a total of nine All-America finishes, including fifth-place finishes from Gayle Hunter in the heptathlon and long jump, and a tenth-place effort from Dominique Blake in the 400. Sophomore Fawn Dorr - an All-American on the 4x400 indoors - finished 11th in the 400 hurdles, coming up just shy of another All-America finish. Johnson's troops were also crucial in Penn State's first-ever victory at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, as the sprints/hurdles/relays contingent accounted for four victories, and over a dozen top eight finishes.

Indoors, Johnson led Cox and Barber to individual All-America finishes at the NCAA Championships with Cox finishing fourth in the 400, and Barber taking eighth in the 60 hurdles. Johnson's athletes came away from the 2008 Indoor Championships with seven All-America finishes, including a fifth-place effort from Hunter in the pentathlon.

The Lion sprints contingent was also on fire at the indoor conference meet, as Cox took top honors in the 200 and 400, and was named Athlete of the Championship, while freshman Shavon Greaves was voted Big Ten Freshman of the Year following a third-place finish in the 60-meters.

The Penn State sprint stable was also solid on the men's side, as Ron Jules - an NCAA regional qualifier - captured runner-up honors in the 110-meter hurdles at the outdoor conference championships. Johnson also saw scoring finishes from Andrew Cope in the 100, and Lionel Williams in the 800-meters at the conference meet, as well as fourth-place finish in the 4x400. Jules was also the runner-up in the 60 hurdles at Big Ten Indoor Championships, to go along with top eight efforts from Adam Stanowick in the hurdles, and Mike Cadau in the 600-meters.

The 2007 season was one for the record books for the Nittany Lion sprints group, as Johnson-coached athletes set 10 Penn State standards, a new Big Ten Championship record in the 4x400-meters, and countless facility and meet records. Johnson's outstanding 4x400 squad posted a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, tying the highest-ever national finish by a Nittany Lion relay, and becoming the first-ever Penn State mile relay to manage a top-eight standing. The relay team, made up of Blake, Simmons, Cox, and Barber, also set the Penn State standard at 3:33.39. Johnson's mile relay continued to excel outdoors, running a school-record 3:31.75 to place second at the NCAA East Regional Championships and qualify for the national meet. Johnson's relay also captured both conference championships - making it four-straight Big Ten wins for the Nittany Lion 4x400.

Individually, Johnson led Cox and Simmons to All-America honors indoors, with Cox finishing seventh in the 400, and Simmons taking seventh in the 800-meters. Simmons had a tremendous indoor campaign, setting school records in both the 800- and 1000-meters, and running legs on the school-record setting sprint and distance medley relays. Outside, Johnson saw Barber to a 12th-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, good for her second-career All-America honor. Barber, who also competed in the 60-meter hurdles at NCAA indoors and the 100-meter hurdles outdoors, set a school record in the quarter hurdles, running 57.00 to win Big Ten gold.

In his first season overseeing the Nittany Lion men's sprints, hurdles, and relays, Johnson both the 4x100 and 4x400 teams to scoring performances at the conference meet. Johnson also led junior Ron Jules to NCAA provisional qualifying status in the 60-meter hurdles indoors, while Jules and senior Caleb Hood met the NCAA regional standards during the outdoor season.

During the 2006 indoor campaign, four of his athletes hit NCAA provisional marks, while the 4x400 hit the automatic qualifier. The relay team, comprised of Cox, Simmons, Barber and Dominique Blake, also captured Penn State's first-ever Big Ten 4x400 title, and recorded a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Johnson's 2006 outdoor season saw regional-qualifying performances from seven women, while Cox and the 4x400 advanced to the NCAA Championships. At the 2006 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Cox was named Athlete of the Championships after winning the 200, and 400, and running legs on the winning 4x100, and 4x400.

Before moving to Penn State, Johnson played a two-year stint at sprint powerhouse Arkansas, assisting legendary Associate Head Women's Coach, Rolando Greene. While at Arkansas, Johnson worked with a bevy of talented sprinters, including Veronica Campbell and LaShaunte'a Moore.

An outstanding athlete in his own right, Johnson graduated from Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas) in 1999. Johnson earned his degree in kinesiology and was a Sun Belt Conference champion in the 400 meters. Following graduation, Johnson taught health and physical education at East Chambers High School in Winnie, Texas. It was there he began his coaching career by guiding one of his athletes to a state runner-up finish in the long jump.

Johnson married the former Gigi Miller in October 2005. Gigi Johnson, one of the top heptathletes in the world, took first place in the heptathlon at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 2006 and has competed for the US at the IAAF World Championships in both 2005 and 2007. Gigi Johnson is also a volunteer assistant for the Nittany Lions. The Johnsons reside in State College.