Michael Eric Johnson (born May 2, 1967) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
coach and former
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
, and current wide receivers coach for
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
. He was the interim
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
for the
UCLA Bruins football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles, in college football as members of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Bruins play their home games at the ...
team after serving as their
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
. Previously, he spent two years with the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
. Johnson was hired along with former offensive coordinator
Jimmy Raye by San Francisco head coach
Mike Singletary on February 6, 2009. Raye was fired on September 27, 2010 and Johnson was promoted.
Beginning in 2014 he served for three seasons as head coach of
The King's Academy Knights in Sunnyvale, California, before being hired as wide receiver coach by the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
in 2017.
Playing career
College
Johnson was a backup quarterback at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
from 1985 to 1986. In 1987, Johnson was a Junior College All-American at
Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College (MCC) is a public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the United States in ter ...
. In 1988 and 1989, Johnson played at the
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classified ...
. Johnson was named Akron's Athlete of the Year in 1990.
Professional
In 1991 and 1992, Johnson played quarterback for the
San Antonio Riders
The San Antonio Riders were a professional American football team that played in the WLAF in 1991 and 1992. The team played at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio in 1991 and then were forced to move to Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Southwest Texas S ...
of the
World League. In 1992 and 1993, Johnson played for the
British Columbia Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place.
The Lions played their first season ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
. From 1994 to 1995, Johnson quarterbacked the
Shreveport Pirates
The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, in 1994 and 1995. Despite a relatively strong fan base, they were one of the least successful of the CFL's A ...
of the Canadian Football League.
Coaching career
At
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...
, Johnson and the wide receiver coach from 1997 to 1998 and the quarterback coach in 1999. Johnson was the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
quarterbacks coach for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Johnson served as the quarterbacks coach for the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
from 2003 to 2005 where he worked with Quarterback
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. Regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities, he is the NFL leader in quarterback rushing yards and was the league's firs ...
. In 2003, Mike Johnson was the offensive coordinator for the last two games of the season under interim head coach
Wade Phillips
Harold Wade Phillips (born June 21, 1947) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL. He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys. He has also ser ...
.
Before joining the 49ers, Mike Johnson was the wide receivers coach for the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in 2006 and 2007. On September 27, 2010, Johnson was named offensive coordinator for the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, replacing
Jimmy Raye.
After the end of the 2010 season, Johnson was not retained by the new head coach
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...
. He was later hired as an assistant coach at UCLA in January 2011. He was named UCLA's interim head coach after the firing of
Rick Neuheisel
Richard Gerald Neuheisel Jr. (; born February 7, 1961) is an American football analyst, coach, former player, and attorney. He served as the head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1995 to 1999, at the University of Washi ...
. He coached the final game of the season at the
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
Johnson was not retained by new UCLA coach
Jim L. Mora in 2012.
On April 15, 2014, Johnson was announced as the new development director and Head Football Coach at
The King's Academy in
Sunnyvale, CA
Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California.
Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by portions of San Jose to the north ...
. After three seasons there, he was hired as wide receiver coach by the University of Oregon Ducks.
Johnson was hired as
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
's outside wide receivers coach on February 9, 2022.
Head coaching record
Notes
References
External links
UCLA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Mike
1967 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
African-American coaches of American football
Akron Zips football players
Orlando Predators players
Arizona State Sun Devils football players
Atlanta Falcons coaches
Baltimore Ravens coaches
Oregon State Beavers football coaches
San Antonio Riders players
San Diego Chargers coaches
San Francisco 49ers coaches
UCLA Bruins football coaches
Players of American football from Los Angeles
Mesa Thunderbirds football players
Canadian football quarterbacks
BC Lions players
Coaches of American football from California
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople
Sports coaches from Los Angeles
Players of Canadian football from Los Angeles
Syracuse Orange football coaches