Behind the scenes with Owasso assistant coach Jordan Johnson
1. WHAT’S YOUR BACKGROUND? (HS, COLLEGE, ETC)?
I started as a paid strength and conditioning intern at Texas Tech University from December 2004 to May 2007. I was a graduate assistant strength coach at the University of Arkansas from May 2007 to March 2008.I was an assistant strength coach at Ole Miss from March 2008 to May 2009. I was an assistant strength coach at the University of Texas-El Paso from May 2009 to November 2011. I finished my collegiate coaching career at the University of Tulsa where I was an assistant strength coach from November 2011 to May 2012. I started my high school career at Jenks High School where I was the director of strength and conditioning from May 2012 to April 2018. My current position is director of strength and conditioning at Owasso High School. I have held that position since May 2018.
2. WHAT LED/INSPIRED YOU INTO BEING A STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH? I have always been passionate about the weight room. As a player myself, I learned at a young age the difference that strength and conditioning could make and the advantage it could give you. I went to a small 1A high school in Texhoma Oklahoma. Upon graduating high school, I didn’t know there was such a thing as being a paid strength coach until I went to college. It was at Texas Tech when Head Football strength coach Bennie Wylie took me under his wing and showed me what the profession is all about. Seeing his relationship with the players and how he pushed them to accomplish their goals inspired me. I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life!
3. WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES FOR A STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH TO DEVELOP IN THEIR ATHLETES?
I believe there are many pieces to that puzzle and they all affect one another. I believe it starts with injury prevention. Great testing numbers are all well and good but the bottom line is if you’re hurt you’re not playing and my job is to help athletes accomplish their goals on the field and make sure what we do in the weight room transfers to the field. Strength will always be an important factor in injury prevention but movement will be just as crucial. At the end of the day, it's my job to put all the pieces together and complement one another. Injury prevention, efficient movement, speed, change of direction, strength, power, nutrition, and conditioning are all attributes that need to be developed in our athletes.
4. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE. (FAMILY AND HOBBIES)
I am a native of Texhoma Oklahoma. Graduated from Texas Tech University. Met my wife Amanda Jo Johnson when we coached together at UTEP. We were married in 2011. We have two kids, Emma Jo Johnson who is 9 years old, and Jack Johnson who is 6 Years old. My wife is an assistant soccer coach at the University of Tulsa so with both of us being coaches year round it doesn’t leave much time for hobbies. All of our time outside of coaching is spent with our kids and family.
5 WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF A STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH’S JOB?
To me, the most important aspect of my job is relationships and trust. As a strength coach, I spend more time with these athletes year-round than any other coach. I ask them to do things that are difficult and not always fun. So to me, you have to know those athletes. You have to know their home life, background, strengths, and weaknesses. You have to have a relationship with these kids to not only develop them as athletes but to develop them as young men and women. Trust to me is a critical aspect of my job. The athletes have to trust you and know you have their best interest in mind. To do that you have to be firm, fair, and consistent. You have to hold all of the athletes to the same standard no matter if they are 5-star of JV players. They may not like the accountability, but at the end of the day if they know I care and they trust what I am doing then I am doing my job.
6. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN COACHING?
I have been incredibly blessed to be a part of a lot of special moments in my 18-year coaching career both at the collegiate level and high school level. I have had the opportunity to work for the hall of fame coaches and work with hundreds of professional athletes. Most people would say championships would be their biggest achievement but to quote my former boss Allan Trimble, “If I was in this for championships, I would have been done a long time ago.” My biggest achievement is the relationships I have created over the years with the players I have coached. Their success not only in sports but in life is the reason I do what I do.