Trevecca Nazarene University will induct five new members into its athletic hall of fame on Wednesday, April 25th at the annual Trevecca Hall of Fame Dinner in the President’s Dining Room. The dinner is followed by the Third Annual TROJY Awards Show in the Boone Convocation Center.
With these five additions, the Trevecca Athletic Hall of Fame started in 1993, will have 74 members.
The 2018 Trevecca Hall of Fame Class includes
Chelsea Bailey Bradley – Softball (Release)
Curtis Lewis – Basketball (Release)
Rone' Phelps Russell – Softball (Release)
Mindy Seigenthaler Norris – Golf (Release)
Michael Johnson – Meritorious Service (Release)
Our final introduction of the 2018 class is Michael Johnson.
Michael Johnson’s undying support of Trojan athletics began during his freshman year cheering on Ron Bargatze’s Nazarene Machine during the 1978-79 season. During his four years as an undergraduate, he attended almost every home game but was also known for packing his car or borrowing his dad’s van to take fellow students on the road to cheer on the purple and white.
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During those years he also began his association with broadcasting on WNAZ, and during his senior year, at the invitation of coach Frank Wilson, Michael took the mic as public address announcer for the first time, but it would indeed not be his last.
After a year away from Nashville, Michael and his wife, Sarah (Adams), returned to the Music City where he began a two-year stint with Commerce Union Bank. But the home team needed a PA guy again, and Michael jumped at the chance, starting a nine-year run, the last seven of which found him back at Trevecca first as assistant director of admissions (1985-89) and as director of public information (1989-92).
The public information duties for Michael allowed expanded coverage of Trojan sports news in the Treveccan and also a couple of years as sports information director. He was a frequent color man on radio broadcasts with Greg Ruff, including the golden 30-4 season of 1986-87 when the Trojans made it to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament.
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From 1992-97, Johnson and his family moved to Oklahoma City, and interestingly enough, he was handed the public address duties for Southern Nazarene University’s basketball games for those five years, did radio color commentary with Toby Rowland, now the radio voice of Oklahoma Sooners football, basketball, and baseball, who was fresh out of college. Johnson also served as head baseball coach at SNU, restarting that program after a 20-year absence on the campus.
In 1997, Michael, Sarah and their three sons, Chad, Brian and Austin, returned to the Hill when Michael was named assistant dean of students and, believe it or not, there was an opening in the public address announcer position at Trojan basketball games. The Master of Atmosphere, as coined by TNU SID Greg Ruff for his impact on the game day experience, was back in the saddle where he remained for the last 21 seasons.
His connection to the students and alumni and being able to say the right thing at the right time is invaluable. What most do not know is that most of his time behind the microphone was on a volunteer basis. His PA services have extended to other sports as well through the years when needed or requested. He took it upon himself to find a person to pray before each game, personally selected most of the music to play and coordinated with the Trojan Blast Pep Band and the cheerleading squads for game production, something most PA announcers do not have on their to-do list.?
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During the 1998-99 school year, Michael found his way into coaching again with the softball program that was in need of a boost of energy to save the program. In one year he and Rick Underwood righted the ship of the program that changed its course for good. Michael and Rick recruited several players that went on to be all-conference and all-region performers, and a couple of TNU Hall of Famers. Maybe the most important contribution was recruiting its next coach, Angela Sullivan. Angela, who joined Michael and Rick as an assistant that year, is now in the Hall of Fame herself at Trevecca. Angela took the foundation Michael and Rick built and turned the program into a nationally recognized NAIA power in just four years.?
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From 2001-03, Michael assisted Dr. Bill Strickland with the men’s golf team but was called on again to take on another project, the women’s golf program. Following a challenging but rewarding first year with the ladies in 2002-03 Michael ended up leading that program to more conference championships (7) than any other coach in Trevecca history. That success also included postseason trips to the NAIA regional tournaments, three years in the NAIA top-25 rankings and the 2009 NAIA National Championships where the team finished in the top-20 in their first appearance.?
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Johnson led that program into the NCAA Division II era and the first three Great Midwest Championships, and he recruited several conference champions and Trevecca’s first NCAA Division II and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference’s first qualifier for the NCAA Division II National Championships.?
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Now, like many of the athletes he coached, coaches he supported, and athletic staff he worked alongside Michael joins them in the Trevecca Hall of Fame. An act that facilitates what he enjoys most - community and celebration. Michael experienced success as a coach and is a worthy honoree in a couple of areas noted, but none more than for being The Master of Atmosphere of Trevecca Athletics.
