The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Assistant Coach Skip Johnson
06.28.2007 | Baseball
| | JOHNSON'S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS |
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| COACHING EXPERIENCE PLAYING EXPERIENCE |
Full name: Arthur Ray Johnson
Date of birth: February 17, 1967
Hometown: Denton, Texas
High school: Denton
Junior College: Ranger College, 1988
College: The University of Texas - Pan American, 1990
Graduate degree: The University of Texas - Tyler, 1993
Family: Wife: Cathy, sons: Tyler and Garrett
When head coach Augie Garrido went looking for a pitching coach following the 2006 campaign, the answer to his search was Skip Johnson, who is regarded as the best teacher of pitching skills by the most knowledgeable baseball people in Texas. Johnson is in his second season as an assistant coach at UT after serving a 13-year stint as head coach at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.
Johnson had an outstanding first season as the Longhorns' pitching coach, mentoring the staff to a 3.46 earned run average, the best mark in the Big 12 Conference and ninth in the nation. He also tutored Adrian Alaniz to Big 12 Pitcher of the Year accolades and coached three All-Big 12 pitchers including Alaniz, Randy Boone and James Russell.
Beginning his coaching career in 1993 as an assistant coach at Navarro, Johnson quickly moved up the ranks by assuming the reigns of the Bulldogs' baseball program one year later. He compiled 450 wins at Navarro and led the Bulldogs to 13 National Junior College Athletic Association Regional Tournaments.
During Johnson's stellar coaching career at Navarro, he led the Bulldogs to nine of 13 Texas Eastern Athletic Conference titles during his time there and four regional tournament titles.
In his final season at Navarro, the team won the TEAC title with an overall record of 38-15 and boasted a team ERA of 3.09. Navarro had 12 players total and eight pitchers selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft in Johnson's final three years as head coach.
While at Navarro, Johnson mentored current Longhorn Pat McCrory, James Russell, as well as former Texas players Sam Anderson, Chris Houser, D.J. Jones, Joseph Krebs, Jesse Merle, Mike Pumo, Ryan Russ, James Russell, Josh Smith, Eric Tomlinson and Clay Van Hook.
A standout baseball player at Denton High School, Johnson began his collegiate playing career at Ranger (Texas) College. After a two-year career with the Rangers, Johnson moved on to play baseball at the University of North Texas in 1988. He played one year for the Mean Green before the school dropped its baseball program. He completed his collegiate playing career at UT Pan American, lettering for the Broncs in 1989 and receiving his bachelor's degree in 1990. Johnson earned a master's degree in education from UT Tyler in 1993.
A native of Denton, Texas, Johnson and his wife, Cathy, have two sons, Tyler and Garrett.
