Livingstone College had already waded through the interviews and picked the person to take over its football program.
Nonetheless, Athletic Director Cliff Huff made the trip to Atlanta for the Pioneer Bowl on Dec. 22 between Tuskegee and Virginia Union to scout defensive coordinator — and new Blue Bear coach — George Johnson.
Huff had previously met with Johnson in Salisbury, but this game would provide Huff with more insight about Johnson than any Q-and-A session held in an office.
If there were any doubts as to whether or not Livingstone had made the right choice before the game, the Golden Tigers eased any concerns.
All they did was limit Virginia Union to 64 yards of total offense and six first downs in Tuskegee’s 28-0 win against the Panthers.
“A lot of people had seen us in the past, but this year was a lot more important to them because they knew I had accepted to come up there,” Johnson said last week from his new office above the old Trent Gym.
“They wanted to see if that magic was still there.”
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Johnson’s success in the Pioneer Bowl doesn’t exactly qualify as a first impression. His defenses have been a big part of Tuskegee’s success as a program.
The Golden Tigers have won eight black college national titles, including the last two. Livingstone, which won the CIAA in 1997 and 1998, even met Tuskegee in the 1998 Pioneer Bowl but lost 23-9.
“I see the plaques up here on the wall, so I know it can be done,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s decision to leave Tuskegee would not seem like a certain one. But in fact, it was, especially after the advice Johnson received from his 23-year-old son, Obadiah, and his soon-to-be 16-year-old daughter, Unique.
A coaching friend from Charlotte first made Johnson aware of the opening at Livingstone. Johnson had one reservation: He already had his eye on another opening.
“My son said, ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush any day.’ I got this interview, so take it,” Johnson explained. “So I faxed my resume to the hotel on Thursday evening.
“I called home to my wife to ask what was for dinner in case I needed to fix it up, and she told me I got an interview with Livingstone the following Monday. I said ‘Huh?’ ”
Johnson made the trip up to Salisbury and soon got offered the job. Before making a decision this time, he sought out Unique’s advice.
Much to his wife Mary’s chagrin.
“Before I took the job, I walked in the house and saw my wife and said, ‘I need to talk to my adviser before I decide to move,’ ” Johnson said. “My wife pulled up a chair. I said, ‘No, I want to talk to Unique.
“My wife looked at me real funny.”
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It’s pretty clear what Unique thought about the matter. Johnson accepted the job before the Pioneer Bowl and arrived in Salisbury on Dec. 26.
Johnson brings a wealth of coaching and playing experience with him, although his professional player lasted only a bit longer than the blink of an eye.
As an offensive lineman at Alabama A&M, Johnson never earned all SIAC honors. But he was the only player in the conference to sign a pro contract in 1974, when he joined the Chicago Bears.
The ink on his contract hadn’t even dried, though, by the time his services were no longer desired.
Johnson attended a few team meetings in Chicago shortly after signing his deal. But somewhere in between the time he took his physical and when the team took the practice field, the Bears decided to waive Johnson.
“I went up there for a cup of coffee,” Johnson said. “It was very short lived. They said I was too small.”
Johnson, who was 6-foot-3, 225 pounds at the time, said he gained 45 pounds the next year playing for his only season with the Birmingham Vulcans of the World Football League.
“That’s the worst mistake I’ve ever made because it’s never stopped coming,” Johnson jokes.
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Johnson’s playing career ended sooner than expected, but it opened the door to a lengthy coaching career.
Johnson got his start at Randolph Comprehensive School in 1974, then moved on to Glenn Valley High School and coached there until 1986.
He relocated again to JonesValley High school and got his first heading coaching job in his second season there
Johnson has also had stops along the way at Miles College, Tuskegee, Weber High School, Knoxville College and Morris Brown before returning to Tuskegee in 1996.
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The Golden Tigers employed a 4-4 scheme, or “Split Six,” as Johnson calls it. The system allows room for only one safety, but Tuskegee still intercepted 19 passes last season.
“There’s a little secret to our defense,” Johnson said. “Even if I’m at a coaching clinic, there’s certain things I won’t say.”
Offensively, Johnson has his eye on a new defensive coordinator and said he will abandon the Blue Bears’ traditional option attack.
“Throw it out the window,” Johnson said. “We will run very little option. I like to throw the ball, but it will be a controlled throwing.”
Johnson held his first formal meeting with the team on Wednesday, one day after a players’ only meeting took place.
Johnson said none of Livingstone’s current players have expressed an interest in transferring.
“I just think at this time they wanted a new direction,” Johnson said.
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Johnson has goals set for this upcoming season, such has having a winning record.
But for now, Johnson finds himself adjusting to life in Salisbury by attending Livingstone basketball games with Unique and making late-night runs to Krispy Kreme, much to his daughter’s dismay.
Johnson said he has pledged to stay at Livingstone for at least five years. But he has more than the school’s immediate future in mind.
“I want to make sure all the kids graduate,” Johnson said. “I’m recruiting for 40 years, not just the time they’re coming to Livingstone to play football. I want them to send their children back to Livingstone.”
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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com
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