Third Year at Penn State
Alma Mater: Lamar University 1999
E-Mail: cpj3@psu.edu
Office Phone: 814-863-7798

Chris Johnson returns for his fourth year coaching the Nittany Lion sprints, hurdles and relays after producing another outstanding season in 2007. In just three seasons at Penn State, Johnson has overseen a dozen All-America performances, including seven-time All-American Shana Cox - last season's NCAA runner-up at 400-meters.

The 2007 season was one for the record books for the Nittany Lion sprints group, as Johnson-coached athletes set 10 Penn State standards, a new Big Ten Championship record in the 4x400-meters, and countless facility and meet records.

Johnson's outstanding 4x400 squad posted a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, tying the highest-ever national finish by a Nittany Lion relay, and becoming the first-ever Penn State 4x400 to manage a top-eight standing. The relay team, made up of Dominique Blake, Briene Simmons, Cox, and Aleesha Barber, also set the Penn State standard at 3:33.39. Johnson's relay team continued to excel outdoors, running a school-record 3:31.75 to place second at the NCAA East Regional Championships and qualify for the national meet. Johnson's relay also captured both conference championships - making it four-straight Big Ten wins for the Nittany Lion 4x400.

Individually, Johnson led Cox and Simmons to All-America honors indoors, with Cox finishing seventh in the 400, and Simmons taking seventh in the 800-meters. Simmons had a tremendous indoor campaign, setting school records in both the 800 and 1000-meters, and running legs on the school-record setting sprint and distance medley relays. Outside, Johnson saw Barber to a 12th-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, good for her second-career All-America honor. Barber, who also competed in the 60-meter hurdles at NCAA indoors and the 100-meter hurdles outdoors, set a school record in the 400 hurdles, running 57.00 to win Big Ten gold.

In his first season overseeing the Nittany Lion men's sprints, hurdles, and relays, Johnson coached both the 4x100 and 4x400 teams to scoring performances at the conference meet. Johnson also led junior Ron Jules to NCAA provisional qualifying status in the 60-meter hurdles indoors, while Jules, and senior Caleb Hood, met the NCAA regional standards during the outdoor season.

Johnson was also hot on the recruiting trail in 2007, signing an outstanding group of athletes on both the men's and women's sides. Johnson inked coveted middle distance recruit Lionel Williams, from Staten Island, N.Y., who was the top prep at 600-meters last winter, and among the top competitors in the country in the half mile. Johnson also landed New Jersey standout Shavon Greaves, a national-ranked sprinter in both the 100 and 200.

During the 2006 indoor campaign, four of his athletes hit NCAA provisional marks, while the 4x400 hit the automatic qualifier. The relay team, comprised of Cox, Simmons, Barber and Blake, also captured Penn State's first-ever Big Ten 4x400 title, and recorded a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Johnson's 2006 outdoor season saw regional-qualifying performances from seven women, while Cox and the 4x400 advanced to the NCAA Championships. At the 2006 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Cox was named Athlete of the Championships after winning the 200, and 400, and running legs on the winning 4x100, and 4x400.

Before moving to Penn State, Johnson played a two-year stint at sprint powerhouse Arkansas, assisting legendary Associate Head Women's Coach, Rolando Greene. While at Arkansas, Johnson worked with a bevy of talent sprinters, such as LaShaunte'a Moore and Veronica Campbell.

An outstanding athlete in his own right, Johnson graduated from Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas) in 1999. Johnson earned his degree in kinesiology and was a Sun Belt Conference champion in the 400 meters. Following graduation, Johnson taught health and physical education at East Chambers High School in Winnie, Texas. It was there he began his coaching career by guiding one of his athletes to a state runner-up finish in the long jump. Johnson married the former GiGi Miller in October 2005. GiGi Johnson, who is coached by her husband, took first place in the heptathlon at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 2006 and has competed for the US at the IAAF World Championships in both 2005 and 2007. GiGi is also a volunteer assistant for the Nittany Lions. The Johnsons reside in State College.

Coaching Experience
Assistant Coach
2004 - Present: Penn State

Volunteer Assistant Coach
2002 - 2004: University of Arkansas

High School Head Coach
1999 - 2001: East Chambers

Outstanding athletes coached
LaShaunte'a Moore - 200 meter title at 2004 NCAA Championships

Veronica Campbell - 2004 Olympic 200 and 4X100-meter relay champion, 100 and 200-meter Southeast Conference Champion.

Shana Cox - Four-time NCAA All-American. Seven-time Big Ten Champion. Penn State record holder in the indoor and outdoor 400, indoor and outdoor 4x400 relays and indoor 500. 2006 NCAA East Region 400 Champion. Named Athlete of the Championships at the 2006 Big Ten Outdoor meet. 2006 NACAC-Under 23 Champion in the 400

Gayle Hunter - Penn State record holder in the 55-meter hurdles and pentathlon. 2005 NCAA participant in the pentathlon and heptathlon. Silver medalist in the long jump at both the Pan Am Games and the USATF Junior Championships.

GiGi Miller - 2006 USA National Champion in the heptathlon. 16th-place finisher in the hept at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Runner up at the 2005 USATF Outdoor Championships. Personal best in the heptathlon is 6,192.