Denver Johnson
Denver Johnson
Denver Johnsonis an American football coach and former player. In April 2015, Johnson became the head football coach at Missouri Southern State University. Formerly, he was the offensive line coach for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane from 2011 to the end of the 2014 season. Johnson was let go when head coach Bill Blankenship was fired on December 1, 2014. Previously, Johnson was the head football coach at Murray State University from 1997 to 1999 and at Illinois State University from...
academic component handle kid physical
There's the physical component of evaluating kids, there's an academic component, and then you get into the intangibles. You try and get a handle on what kind if kid he is.
drowned enjoy feet football guy improved kids plays three win
Being two plays away is like being the guy who drowned three feet from the dock. Our kids feel like we're better, an improved football team. But we have to get a win to enjoy that.
against appreciate excited gives kids open opportunity playing recognized season worked
We are excited to get this worked out. It gives us another opportunity to open up the season against a nationally recognized opponent. Our kids are always excited about playing these I-A games, and we just appreciate the opportunity.
adage behind came coaching fans fell great involved previous program run short success sure town
In coaching the old adage is you'd really like to come in behind someone they wanted to run out of town on a rail. (The previous staff) came in here and had great success, unprecedented success in the I-AA era. They set that high-water mark, and we fell short of it. That was disappointing to me. I'm sure it was disappointing to the fans and everyone involved in the program here.
bad degree far fast good move sure
I'm not sure I anticipated how far and how fast this institution would move academically, but I did see it coming. It's not a bad thing. It is a good school. To get a degree here is not an insignificant thing.
break certainly good season
I'm not happy, certainly not satisfied, with what we've been able to get done on the field. We've had some good years. We've had some very competitive games, but we need to break through. We need to have an 8-, 9- or 10-win season before long.
defense hunting playing
I'm probably going to jinx myself but our defense is playing well right now. They are hunting in packs and getting after the football.
boomer
Boomer is what you want them all to be.
government worked
Brockway has been like a government mule. We've worked him to death. But he's done well. And I tell you, he's benefiting from it. He's getting a lot of opportunities to get better and he is.
half halftime nail second team threat
With him they had a threat to get back in it in the second half (although down 28-0). At halftime I told the team that they had to nail it down and that's what they did.
again bit coach direction easy excited good head illinois leadership sure tenure time
To be honest, I'm excited again to be head coach here at Illinois State. There was a time here when I'm not sure I could say I was excited. My tenure here has not been an easy one. I feel we've got new leadership in the department, we've got good direction in the program. I feel that we're going to get a little bit of traction here and really become productive.
beat certainly couple drake game gave good opportunity people team upset worthy
Drake is certainly a worthy opponent. They gave us a pretty good game out here a couple of years ago. Drake is a good enough team to come in here and beat us. If you don't play well, you give people the opportunity to upset you.
gets hump power team
Sometimes you see that happen, where a team gets over the hump and gets some traction. Don't ever underestimate the power of momentum.
carry deal grand great kevin learned mules people spring sure tough win
It's a tough deal when you've got one quarterback. Brockway has been like one of those mules that carry people in and out of the Grand Canyon. We're working him to death. I'm sure he's tired, but it's been a great spring for him. He's learned a lot and he's really improved. Right now, I think we could win with Kevin Brockway.