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.
