Former WVU, Marshall coach Johnson to speak at Fellowship of Christian Athletes event

Dave Johnson was born and raised in Pittsburgh, but his parents are natives of West Virginia, in the small Harrison County town of Lumberport.

Johnson graduated from Penn Hills High School in 1979. A high school All-America offensive lineman, he was heavily recruited by college recruiters. But for all that interest, the choice was easy for Johnson.

He would be a Mountaineer.

“I grew up listening to Mountaineer football on the radio, and my dad was an avid West Virginia fan, so when it came down to it I just felt like that was going to be the place for me,” Johnson said. “I felt more at home.”

Even to a Pittsburgh boy, the Mountain State was home. But Johnson’s decision to play football at West Virginia had a profound effect on his life that he feels to this day.

“Frank Cignetti Sr. was the head coach at that time, and I actually just fell in love with him and the staff,” Johnson said. “I loved playing for him. He’s a tremendous not only coach and man, but a man of God, and he’s the one that kind of introduced me to FCA when I was a freshman.”

Cignetti invited all freshman football players to attend the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ first meeting of the fall semester. Johnson attended, and the impact was more gradual than immediate.

“It really didn’t change my lifestyle or anything. I was still going out on weekends with the buddies and guys and all that,” he said. “But FCA had a huge impact on me that first night, because I saw that guys were different. They were serious about it. And so it had an impact on me.”

The Mountaineers went 5-6 that season and Cignetti and his staff wound up getting fired after a four-year record of 17-27. That offseason was significant for Mountaineer fans because it ushered in the start of the Don Nehlen era. For Johnson, it was about so much more.

“I…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/former-wvu-marshall-coach-johnson-035900311.html

Author : The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.

Publish date : 2025-03-12 03:59:00

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