Marcus Johnson-Williams may not have been planning to return to the sidelines in this capacity this soon. However, some opportunities are too good to pass up, which falls in the category for him with the latest job he's accepted.
Johnson-Williams recently became eighth Head Football Coach at Salem High School in Virginia Beach, which opened in 1989 and has been a model of consistency on the gridiron. Previously, he had gone into administration as an Assistant Principal at S.P. Morton Elementary School in Franklin.
"Moving in a different direction and I'm keeping it all positive," Johnson-Williams told VirginiaPreps.com.
The job at Salem became open when Shawn Wilson decided to retire in April after a 40-14 mark in five seasons at the helm, including 3-1 during the most recent season, an abbreviated campaign that ended for the Sun Devils 20-7 loss to Maury in the regional semifinals.
Not only are the Sun Devils 209-139 all-time for a winning percentage of over .600, but they haven't missed the playoffs in more than a decade. The last time they missed the postseason was in 2009 when they went 6-4 overall.
In fact, Salem has 20 playoff victories since 2006 and is not used to losing more than they win. Their last losing record was a season earlier when they went just 5-6 overall in 2008.
"I've always respected the tradition of Salem. What it stood for, the academics, and then the competitive spirit that I've seen when I got to the Beach District, first for them under Robert Jackson and then Shawn Wilson. It was consistent. The job was attractive that these student-athletes were doing it in both areas; in the classroom and on the field," Johnson-Williams added.
"I said that I'd like to continue that and try to add on to that to get them over the top. It was a big opportunity to do some good things and I am so excited."
Johnson-Williams, 46, hails from the Hampton Roads area. He played center at Homer L. Ferguson High School in Newport News for Tommy Reamon, with whom he would spend 13 seasons coaching with at Landstown.
"First and foremost, what Tommy has ultimately been for me is a life coach. Coach Reamon always talks reality versus what things could be. In the same sentence, he always pushes the idea that you've got to keep dreaming," Johnson-Williams noted.
"Doing all that, you have to take one step at a time and can't get away from the crux of all of it, which is work ethic You've got to want to put in the work. Hat's off to him because that's everything you get from him. It's always about the kids first and doing what's best for the kids."
In college, Johnson-Williams played linebacker in college at Norfolk State University under Darnell Moore. Yet, when his playing career ended, he did not expect things to turn out the way they did.
"Teaching and learning are all about who I am. But I wasn't thinking more about teaching or coaching in High School. I was thinking about being a college professor or on something on that track," Johnson-Williams admitted.
"Then reality set in, I got a teaching license and I ended up at Warwick teaching social studies at Warwick and coaching with Tommy."
Upon his departure from Warwick, Johnson-Williams spent four four years at Heritage High in Newport News. Both Reamon and Moore have been significant influences within the sport of football and beyond.
"There's a bigger picture that many of the young student-athletes really don't see. To me, a week is a lifetime to a young person. You've got to create things that they can see, that they can buy into, that can move them in a direction to be great," believes Johnson-Williams.
"Whether that's being great students, being great to their parents or being great to their teachers. Those are the things you install along the way. When you get a good group of them, you win lots of football games."
Irony would have it that the first game for Johnson-Williams as a Head Coach comes at Landstown on August 27th against Reamon's Eagles.
"Circle the date because I really think it's going to be a good one," Williams indicated. "I know Coach Reamon is excited about it, I'm excited about it and what else can you say?"
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.
