Jimmy Johnson Hired as Seahawks Football Coach

He's certainly got a name that inspires football greatness.

Now if Jimmy Johnson, the newly-hired skipper of the Seahawks' football program, can demonstrate the coaching skills to back it up, Franklin County is headed for a great start on their new gridiron.

"We're going to get the job done," said Johnson, 52. "I'm not going to promise you anything except we'll be ready to play, we'll be in shape and we'll be prepared."

By unanimous consent at their July 10 regular meeting, the school board approved hiring Johnson as the 2008-09 head football coach.

On board last year as an assistant to Coach Bill Sharp, Johnson assumed the interim coaching job after Sharp was let go by then-principal Dr. Isaac Neal. Johnson coached the Seahawks in the spring, and led them to a respectable performance against Wewahitchka and Panama City Bozeman in the May 24 jamboree.

"Once we get the program established, I feel real good about it," he said. "We need positive influences for these kids. They hear enough negative crap. We have a mental block and the only way you can fix that is by winning.

"We need to tell them they can do it and they will do it," he said. "It can be changed and I'm going to do my best to see we do change it."

Originally from Henry County, AL, Johnson played high school football at Abbeville High School, competing in the tight end and safety slots.

He later attended the University of Alabama and graduated in 1979 with a bachelor's in education, double majoring in education and biology.

For the past 25 years, Johnson has been a coach, mostly as an offensive coordinator. His first year on the sidelines he worked as an assistant coach at Port St. Joe under Shaw Maddox, and then left after being offered a job at Niceville High School Eagles.

He worked there for four years as quarterback and wide receiver coach, during which time Niceville won a 4A state championship in 1988 under Coach Frank Sauls. "I learned a ton of football from the offensive coordinator Ron Mayer," said Johnson.

Johnson left Niceville for a head coaching job at Freeport in 1990-91, and after coaching the Bulldogs for a year, he left to become offensive coordinator for the Geneva (AL) Panthers.

"I was there (Freeport) for one year and then got offered a better job," Johnson said. "We were raising four children at the time."

After three years as offensive coordinator for Geneva, Johnson went on to become  offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Eufala High School, from 1996 until 2005.

At Eufala, the team won seven regional championships in a row, and one year lost in the state semi-finals to Williamson. "They had a freshman quarterback named JaMarcus Russell," said Johnson, referring to the Oakland Raiders starter and Louisiana State University standout who is the all-time passing leader in Alabama high school history.

In 2006, Johnson went to Headland, a 4A school in Alabama, where as offensive coordinator, he helped lead the Rams to their first winning season in 19 years.

Johnson said he plans to be the Seahawks' offensive coordinator this season, with Fred Drake as defensive coordinator and defensive backfield coach, Justin Long as linebacker and offensive line coach and Robert Van Sickle as offensive and defensive line coach.

Johnson said there has been excellent attendance among the 32 Seahawks players at summer workouts, held Monday through Thursday, each morning in Carrabelle, in Eastpoint around 1 p.m. and in Apalachicola at 6 p.m.

"I'm hoping we'll have some more come out," he said. "I'll let anybody who wants to play come out. I'm a firm believer that for you to play football you have to go through spring practice, but I'm going to allow them to do it this year. But probably not next year."

Practices officially begin Monday, August 11, and then players have to go three days in shorts before they can suit up in pads for their fourth practice.

"I want these kids to learn what it feels like to win," said Johnson. "That takes working on the mental part of it and believing in yourself.

"At Niceville and Eufala, those kids expected to win. Our kids don't expect to win and we have to change that mindset," he said. "We got that mental thing that's got to be overcome. That sometimes is the toughest part."