Jim Johnson (coach)
James Archie Johnson Jr. (September 10, 1912 – November 27, 2004) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was tapped to reintroduce men's sports to East Carolina after World War II. He was the seventh head coach of the football, basketball and baseball teams at East Carolina Teachers College. He also was the athletic director for all sports teams. Before coaching, Johnson was a 16 letter winning athlete between 1933 and 1937. Johnson was inducted in 1978 into the ECU Hall of Fame.
 Johnson pictured in The Tecoan 1947, ECU yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 10, 1912 Cary, North Carolina |
| Died | November 27, 2004 (aged 92)[1] Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1933–1937 | East Carolina |
| Position(s) | Tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1946–1948 | East Carolina |
| Basketball | |
| 1946–1947 | East Carolina |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 8–18–1 (football) 17–10 (basketball) |
"12th Man Tackle"
In October 1977, William & Mary met heavily favored East Carolina University in the Oyster Bowl. In the fourth quarter ECU led by three points. During the game's final seconds, William & Mary quarterback Tom Rozantz broke loose and ran for the end zone. Jim Johnson, described by The Virginian Pilot as "a portly 65-year-old gentleman in a raincoat", ran from the sidelines and threw a block tackle on Rozantz before he could score the winning touchdown. The unusual turn of events silenced the screaming William & Mary fans, and the officials gathered to discuss their course of action. After deliberation, the play was ruled a touchdown.[2][3]
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Carolina Pirates (Independent) (1946) | |||||||||
| 1946 | East Carolina | 5–3–1 | |||||||
| East Carolina Pirates (North State Conference) (1947–1948) | |||||||||
| 1947 | East Carolina | 3–6 | 1–3 | 8th | |||||
| 1948 | East Carolina | 0–9 | 0–6 | 9th | |||||
| East Carolina: | 7–17–1 | 1–9 | |||||||
| Total: | 7–17–1 | ||||||||
References
- Coach Jim tackled a lot in life, but one was most memorable, The Virginian Pilot, December 1, 2004, retrieved February 3, 2009.
- Pirate Alumni newsletter June 23, 2008, retrieved February 1, 2009.