BOBBY JOHNSON

'Bobby Johnson' (b. Columbia, South Carolina) is the head football coach at Vanderbilt University. He became the Commodores' coach in December 2001 after leading Furman University to the Division I-AA national championship game. Johnson's first head coaching job was at Furman, which hired him in 1994. Previously, he had been defensive coordinator at Clemson University.

Contents

Student-athlete

Transition to Vanderbilt

Recent success

References

External link

Student-athlete

As a player at Clemson, Johnson was a three-year letterman and led the team in interceptions playing cornerback in 1971 and 1972. Johnson is a 1973 graduate of Clemson University with a bachelor's degree in management and received his master’s degree in education from Furman in 1979.

Transition to Vanderbilt

After a successful stint at Furman, Bobby Johnson was hired on at Vanderbilt University to take the helm of an SEC squad. Many questioned the administration's loyalty to Coach Johnson after three consecutive 2-9 seasons, but Vanderbilt's loyalty paid off. Coach Johnson, along with Vanderbilt's Chancellor Gee and Vice Chancellor Williams, had been an instrumental part of a new culture at Vanderbilt. The Athletic Department was abolished—a first among universities in a Division I athletic conference. Bobby Johnson publicly committed himself to a vision of the "student-athlete"—not just an athlete.

Recent success

In Johnson's fourth season, the Commodores finished 5-6 and defeated in-state rival Tennessee in Knoxville for the first time since 1975. Jay Cutler, the team's offensive captain that season, was drafted #11 overall by the Denver Broncos and named as starting quarterback during his rookie season.
In the 2006 season, Vanderbilt fell to 4-8 after the loss of Cutler, but did beat Georgia at Sanford Stadium. In addition, Vanderbilt lost games to Ole Miss, Alabama, SEC West champion Arkansas, and eventual national champion Florida by a touchdown or less—an impressive feat for a team normally considered a "gimme win" by SEC teams. After eight games ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' college football writer Tony Barnhart stated that Johnson "deserves some consideration" for SEC Coach of the Year, albeit based on a misstated record of 4-5 instead of 3-5. Coaches jobs in question
Barnhart's 2006 postseason survey of ten former SEC coaches ranked the Vanderbilt job the least attractive in the SEC. Former Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer summarized Johnson's performance: "The tough thing about the Vanderbilt job is that you can improve a lot from year to year and still finish last in the SEC East. For what he has, I think Bobby Johnson does a heck of a coaching job." Barnhart: Best and worst SEC jobs

References

External link

★ Official biography at Vanderbilt