Harrodsburg community celebrates life of football coach Alvis Johnson

As high school football teams across the state lit up their stadiums in honor of legendary Harrodsburg High School football coach Alvis Johnson on Sunday night, the field that bears his name held a celebration of his life and legacy.

Johnson, a highly respected coach, educator and administrator who led the Pioneers of “Hogtown” for 23 seasons, died Saturday at the age of 77.

Mercer County’s Alvis Johnson Field, Woodford County’s Community Stadium and many more turned on their lights for 23 minutes Sunday, one minute for each of Johnson’s seasons with the Pioneers, also affectionately known as the Hogs. While Harrodsburg High School is no more since its 2006 merger with Mercer County, the Titans play their home games on the old Harrodsburg field.

Scores of former players and students joined some of Johnson’s family and friends to share stories of Johnson’s “love and leadership.” The microphone passed from one to another across the grandstand as tales both large and small brought forth laughter and tears.

“I’m going to speak on behalf of a lot of my teammates that are standing right over here. Man, we loved Coach Johnson,” said Mercer County head football coach Craig Yeast, who starred for both Harrodsburg and the University of Kentucky during his playing days in the 1990s. “Without Coach Johnson and Mrs. Johnson, there is absolutely no way that I could stand here today and be back in this town and speak to you about how much I love that man and how much he’s done for me.”

Rosetta Johnson, Coach Johnson’s wife of 49 years who moved with him to Harrodsburg shortly after they were married, expressed her appreciation for those memories and the community’s support, especially in the last several months as her husband’s health worsened.

“It’s an honor. You know, Alvis loved Harrodsburg,” Rosetta Johnson said. “When you’re going through it, you really don’t think about how it’s going to be. But when it culminates and you hear all of that, it makes you feel good. You feel very proud and you just thank God that you made some decisions that rewarded other people.”

‘Hard work will always pay off’

A Hopkinsville native and Christian County alumnus, Johnson played college football at Western Kentucky University before returning home to begin his teaching and coaching career at his alma mater.

The son of a western Kentucky sharecropper, Johnson spoke of the importance of hard work and an education for a KentuckyTeacher.org article in 2020.

“My dad taught me a long time ago that hard work will always pay off for you. He worked very hard, and he instilled in me the drive to always try to work and be competitive in whatever area you’re in,” Johnson said, noting with a laugh that farming also taught him something else. “It taught me to go to college.”

Johnson got his bachelor’s degree in education from WKU and later earned his master’s in history from Eastern Kentucky University.

He told the Harrodsburg Herald in 2020 that he initially wasn’t interested in a job offer from Harrodsburg High, but the persistence of the superintendent and the chance to be head coach for both football and track as well as the school’s athletic director changed his mind.

He accepted the job in 1975 and taught U.S. history, world history, law and justice and geography.

Harrodsburg went 11-2 in Johnson’s first football season, had 10 or more wins in eight seasons and had only three losing records over his 23-year span. Johnson compiled a career record of 194-77.

He led the Class A Pioneers to 12 district titles, seven region titles and three state runner-up finishes (1988, 1996 and 1997). Meanwhile, his track and field teams won five state team titles and more than 50 individual state championships.

“The tradition we built. Everybody wanted to be a part of it,” Johnson told the Harrodsburg Herald. “The athletes wanted to be a part of the football tradition. The cheerleaders wanted to cheer because of the tradition in Harrodsburg. Everybody from the time they were small playing peewee, their goal was to come up and play for Harrodsburg.”

Johnson was the first black president of the National Federation of High School Athletics Board of Directors and also served on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control where he had stints as president and vice president.

In 1977, he was named a national track coach of the year. In 1992, he was inducted into the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

In 1996 he was recognized with a Disney’s American Teacher Award. That was the same year he and both of his sons received first team all-state honors from the Associated Press.

Sons Derrick and Dennis Johnson were part of Harrodsburg’s huge run of success in the 1990s and both went on to play at the University of Kentucky with the younger Dennis coming in as one of the Cats’ highest-rated recruits ever after earning “Sports Illustrated” national high school player of the year honors in 1997. Dennis went on to a brief NFL career.

Upon Dennis’ graduation from Harrodsburg, Alvis Johnson retired from coaching and joined his sons at UK as an assistant athletic director in 1998, a position he held for eight years.

Alvis Johnson was inducted into the Dawahares/Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2004.

‘An indefatigable spirit’

In more recent years, the elder Johnson ran a transportation company and could be seen on the football sidelines at Woodford County High School where Dennis followed in his father’s footsteps as both a head football coach and athletic director and Derrick helps out as an assistant coach. The Yellow Jackets have developed into one of Class 5A’s best teams.

And Alvis Johnson also remained involved in education, serving as an at-large board member of the Kentucky Board of Education for a two-year term that ended in 2022.

“Alvis Johnson’s legacy will be the positive impact he had on thousands of Kentucky high school kids, thanks to his generous heart and indefatigable spirit,” longtime Herald-Leader high school sports writer Mike Fields said. “I saw him at the Sweet Sixteen a few months ago. He was watching his grandson Jasper star for Woodford County. Alvis wasn’t in the best of health, but his eyes sparkled with pride.”

Jasper Johnson, son of Dennis, ranks as one of the most highly sought after high school junior basketball recruits in the nation. Jasper helped Woodford County reach the Boys’ Sweet 16 state basketball semifinals last season.

Having served as both a deacon and the chairman of deacons at Centennial Baptist Church of Harrodsburg, Johnson often referred to his faith in articles over the years.

“Our No. 1 priority has to be the Lord,” Alvis told the Herald-Leader amid the height of his football team’s success in 1996. “He’s the reason we are what we are, and why our family has been blessed in so many ways. We give Him all the credit.”

One of his former players, Mercer County Athletic Director Donald Smith, also became Johnson’s pastor at Centennial. Smith helped lead Sunday’s remembrance. He reminded those gathered that Johnson’s legacy will endure.

“He’s still living because he’s a piece of all of us,” Smith said.

Tributes pour in

When news of Johnson passing spread Saturday, condolences poured out on social media.

“My heart is just breaking right now knowing my friend for 50 plus years has left us after a blessed life where he touched so, so many in a variety of ways,” tweeted Kentucky sports writer Larry Vaught.

“We lost a giant of a man today. But, his impact will live on in the countless lives he touched,” tweeted former Mercer County football coach David Buchanan, now at Anderson County. “Love you coach. Thank you for how you loved us. Thank you for your example. To Mrs. Rosetta, Dennis, & Derrick, thank you for sharing him with us.”

“Alvis Johnson was the epitome of a good man & had a massive impact on high school sports, especially football, in the commonwealth. May he RIP,” tweeted Herald-Leader sports columnist Mark Story.

“Coach Johnson’s legacy as a HS coach and the impact he made on his athletes was second to none!,” tweeted former Danville football coach Clay Clevenger, now at Somerset. “Prayers to Dennis, Derrick and his awesome wife Ms Rosetta … .”

“Alvis influenced so many lives in Kentucky, both students and adults. He was an inspiration to all. And he always worked to make life better for others,” Tweeted “Cats’ Pause” founder Oscar Combs.

“RIP, Alvis. When it came to Kentucky high school football, you were absolute royalty,” tweeted Dick Gabriel of “Big Blue Insider.”

Funeral arrangements

Johnson is survived by his wife Rosetta, sons Derrick (Michelle) and Dennis (Nyoka) and seven grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled from 7:01 a.m. to 1:01 p.m. Friday at Centennial Baptist Church, 291 West Lane, Harrodsburg. Sims Funeral Services is in charge of arrangements.

Weather permitting, the funeral will be held at 2:01 p.m. Friday at Alvis Johnson Field, 371 East Lexington Street, Harrodsburg. In case of rain, the service would be moved to Harrodsburg Baptist Church. A burial service will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to be made to the Centennial Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 177, Harrodsburg, KY 40330.