Elliot Johnson

Inducted in 2009
In the Category of Coach
Baseball - Head Coach
As a Trojan
Elliott Johnson was Trevecca's second baseball coach. He led the program for 11 seasons (1980-90) with a 330-152-7 overall record-winning 68% of his games. He was named the coach of the year four times during his tenure.

In conference play his teams had a 71% winning percentage (140-57-1) while winning or sharing the conference title in five of his 11 seasons. All but one of his 11 teams posted at least 20 wins; every season was a winning season.

He had ten 20-win teams, six 30-win teams, and the school's first 40-win team. Eight of his teams reached the NAIA District-24 Tournament. The 1982 and 1989 teams won the tournament and advanced to the NAIA Area-5 Tournament.

The 40-win team was in 1989 when his Trojans posted a 40-17 record while winning the NAIA District-24 championship and finished ranked No. 8 in the NAIA. His Trevecca teams gave him the 15th best NAIA winning percentage during the 1980s

In his first season his Trojans produced a 25-8 record and were the Volunteer State Athletic Conference Western Division and overall VSAC Champions. Each of his final five seasons produced at least 31 wins.

Seven of his players were NAIA All-Americans, and four were first team selections. He had two NAIA Scholar-Athletes, a District-24 Player of the Year, and a NAIA Area-5 Player of the Year. He had 14 players make the NAIA District-24 team with four of those named to the NAIA Area-5 team. In his time at Trevecca, 22 Trojans named All-Conference (VSAC or TCAC), and six of his former players are already in the Trevecca Athletic Hall of Fame.

After leaving Trevecca, Coach Johnson coached at LeTourneau and Olivet Nazarene University, and he now serves as head coach at Southern Nazarene University. He coached for one season at Taylor University prior to succeeding Bill Green at Trevecca in 1980.

Johnson will begin his 29th season as a collegiate coach next season. He has a overall record of 873-454 and has coached 1340 games.

In 2008 the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) awarded Johnson the Jerry Kindall Character in Coach Award.

His teams have appeared in 18 NAIA District or Regional Tournaments, winning eleven conference, district, or national titles. He has been named coach of the year six times

He assisted at Middle Tennessee State University where he earned a doctorate in physical education. The MTSU team won the Ohio Valley Conference Championship.

At Olivet, his Tigers won one NCCAA National Championship (2000) and four regular season Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004), and had two NAIA World Series appearances (2002, 2003). Current Tampa Bay Ray All-Star Ben Zobrist played for Johnson three years at Olivet.

He has had two successful seasons at Southern Nazarene University, finishing 37-15 last year.

Johnson was an all-conference pitcher and shortstop as a collegian. He attended Trinity College and earned a B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and an M.A. from Chadron State College (Neb.).

Dr. Johnson is especially interested in youth baseball; his master's thesis included research on the motivation of boys at three age levels, and his doctoral dissertation researched the philosophy of a sound youth baseball program. His video "The Building of a Baseball Player" is required viewing by the National Youth Sports Coaches Association and by Kids Sports Network for certification of youth baseball coaches. He has produced a total of six videos on coaching techniques and player development.

Coach Johnson has worked for the Doyle Brothers Baseball Camp in Florida and has instructed hundreds of kids at his own camps and clinics. He is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), AIA, and other sports ministries. He also has written 25 inspirational books and numerous baseball articles and is a frequent speaker for a variety of groups. Coach Johnson's Stride Guide is a top seller as a baseball training aid for hitters. It has been marketed by the Schutt Company for a number of years.

Johnson has been married for 39 years to Judy Johnson, who teaches kindergarten. Sons Todd and Ben played for their father at LeTourneau University. Like father, like son: After many years coaching for Athletes in Action and on the college level, Todd directs FCA at the University of Mississippi. Ben is area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Waco, Texas.
After Graduation

 
 

Trojan Hall of Fame

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Trevecca Nazarene University is pleased to announce its 2011 Athletic Hall of Fame Class. Michelle Arend Plummer, Lindsey Fly Strickland, Jami Toomey Warren, and Mauricio Azevedo Dos Santos will be inducted during Trevecca's annual Homecoming weekend on Saturday, November 5.

This year's class has a multi-sport flair, with volleyball (Plummer), basketball (Strickland), softball (Warren), and soccer (Dos Santos) represented. The selection of Dos Santos marks the first time a soccer player has been inducted into the Trevecca Athletic Hall of Fame.

Plummer is the fourth volleyball player to be introduced and the first since 1999 when Brenda Steen Gray was chosen for the Hall of Fame. Others selected in the sport of volleyball are Allison Hendershot Stark and Carol Ernest Schneidmiller.

Fly is the fifth to be chosen in women's basketball. She joins fellow women's basketball honorees Carol Ernest Schneidmiller, Hilary Howard Montgomery, Molly Schoenberg Harned, and Jennifer Wilson in the Hall of Fame.

Warren is the third softball player to be selected for the Hall of Fame. She joins Brandy Barnett Brown and Wendy Allen Apanco as softball players in the TNU Athletic Hall of Fame.

With these inductions, 51 individuals are now members of the Trevecca Athletic Hall of Fame. Begun in 1993, the Athletic Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions within the Trevecca intercollegiate athletic program, which started in 1969.

All four of the 2011 members have agreed to be on hand for induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 5, 2011. The official presentation and induction will take place during halftime of the women's Homecoming basketball game in Moore Gym.

Both Trojan basketball teams will open regular season play at Homecoming. The women's team will host Point Loma Nazarene at 3:00, and the men will host Michigan-Dearborn at 5:00 p.m. The Hall of Fame Induction will occur Saturday shortly after the first half of the women's basketball game.

YearInducteeSport(s)Category InductedGrad Date
1993Mary Lee FielderMeritorious ServiceMeritorious Service1948
1993Dick JohanssonM TennisStudent Athlete1985
1993Alan SmithTennisCoach
1993Melvin TaylorM BasketballStudent Athlete1983
1994Ulf DahlstromM TennisStudent Athlete
1994Avery PattonM BasketballStudent Athlete1987
1994Arthur "Toby" WilliamsMeritorious ServiceMeritorious Service
1995Tim BellBaseball/M BasketballStudent Athlete1987
1995Deborah Ann Lore CoachMeritorious Service / Coach
1996Allison Hendershot StarkVolleyballStudent Athlete
1997Carol Ernest SchneidmillerW Basketball, V-ball, TennisStudent Athlete1979
1997Mac HeaberlinM BasketballStudent Athlete1988
1997J. Dwight RagsdaleMeritorious ServiceMeritorious Service1967
1997David SuddethM BasketballStudent Athlete1992
1997Todd WelchMeritorious ServiceMeritorious Service
1999Roger CostaMeritorious ServiceMeritorious Service
1999Brenda Steen GrayVolleyballStudent Athlete
2002Fred HarrisM BasketballMeritorious Service / Coach / Student Athlete
2002Blanchard HowardM BasketballStudent Athlete1978
2002Ken StegallMeritorious ServiceMeritorious Service1983
2002Brad StuartBaseball1990
2002Charles TorainM Basketball, BaseballStudent Athlete1973
2003Charles "Popcorn" ThompsonBaseballStudent Athlete1988
2003Magnus BerglundM TennisStudent Athlete1990
2003Roger BrownBaseballStudent Athlete1995
2003Randy BurgettBaseballStudent Athlete1980
2004David BlanfordM BasketballStudent Athlete2001
2004Troy HaydelBaseballStudent Athlete1985
2004Calvin HolmesM BasketballStudent Athlete1982
2004Sandy McClainM BasketballStudent Athlete1988
2005Brandy Barnett BrownSoftballStudent Athlete1997
2005Clay BooneBaseballStudent Athlete1990
2005Juan GaratM TennisStudent Athlete1992
2005Jeremy ToddBaseballStudent Athlete2001
2007Michael BlivensM BasketballStudent Athlete2001
2007Bill GreenBaseballCoach
2007Kenny ThomasBaseballStudent Athlete1978
2008Jim HendershotMeritorious ServiceMeritorious Service1967
2008Scott JonesVolleyballCoach
2009Wendy Allen ApancoSoftballStudent Athlete2003
2009Kevin BrownBaseballStudent Athlete1995
2009Hilary Howard MontgomeryW BasketballStudent Athlete2003
2009Elliot JohnsonBaseballCoach
2009Molly Schoenberg HarnedW BasketballStudent Athlete2002
2010Will PartinM BasketballStudent Athlete2003
2010Jennifer WilsonW BasketballStudent Athlete2003
2010Frank WilsonM BasketballCoach
2011Michelle Arend PlummerVolleyballStudent Athlete2002
2011Mauricio Azevedo Dos SantosM SoccerStudent Athlete2004
2011Lindsey Fly StricklandW BasketballStudent Athlete2004
2011Jami Toomey WarrenSoftballStudent Athlete2005