Baseball - Chipola College

The Johnson Record
JEFF JOHNSON
• Career Record: 529-284
• 2007 NJCAA Coach of the Year
• 2007 NJCAA National Championship
• 2007, 2011 FCSAA Coach of the Year
• 2007, 2011 FCSAA State Championship
• 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007,
2011 Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year
• 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007,
2011 Panhandle Conference Championships
• 81 College/University Signees
• 28 Players Drafted by Major League Baseball
• 3 NJCAA All Americans
Jeff Johnson is entering his 15th season at
the helm of the Chipola Baseball Program.
Coach Johnson has built Chipola into one
of the premier JUCO programs in the country.
Johnson has led the Indians to consecutive
State and Region VIII Championships, in 2007
and 2008 and berths in the JUCO World Series
in Grand Junction, Co. winning Chipola’s first
ever National Championship in 2007.
The Indians have also won the extremely
competitive Panhandle Conference Championships
in six of the last ten years and were
runners-up in 1997, 1998, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Coach Johnson has compiled an outstanding
overall record of 492-257-2 (.656) and a Panhandle
Conference record of 192-105 (.647).
Johnson has received numerous coaching
awards during his time at Chipola. He was
named NJCAA National Coach of the year and
ABCA/NJCAA Division 1 National Coach of the
Year in 2007, NJCAA Gulf Region Coach of the
year in 2007 and 2008, Panhandle Conference
Coach of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005,
2006, and 2007, Florida Diamond Club Coach
of the Year in 2007, and Southeast Professional
Baseball Association Coach of the Year in 2007.
Johnson has done a tremendous work in
graduating and developing players to move on
to higher levels. He has had 148 players move
on to four year universities and professional
baseball. Twenty-six of his former players are
currently playing professional baseball with
two playing at the Major League level (Jose
Bautista-3B Toronto Blue Jays and Russell
Martin-Catcher Los Angeles Dodgers). Chipola’s
most well known big leaguer is 2007
NL All Star Catcher and Silver Slugger Award
winner Russell Martin. The 2003 alumnus is
considered by most baseball experts as the top
catcher in major league baseball. He also has
Tyler Flowers (AAA White Sox), Mat Gamel (AAA
Brewers), Cole Armstrong (AA White Sox), Rene
Tosoni (AA Twins), Jaye Chapman (AA Braves),
Adam Loewen (AA Blue Jays), Darren Ford (AA
Giants), Barrett Browning (AA Angels), David
Mixon (AA Giants), and Steve Clevenger (AA
Cubs) along with many others at the Single A
level.
Johnson has coached three 1st round draft
picks in LHP Adam Loewen (2003), RHP Alan
Horne (2004), and LeVon Washington (2010),
2nd round pick Patrick Corbin (2009), 3rd round
picks LHP Kyle Pawelczyk (2002) and RHP
Ryan Chaffee (2008) along with 4th rounder Mat
Gamel (2005) who is considered the best hitter
in Double A baseball.
He has also coached three JUCO All-
Americans in Matt Grooms, Tyler Flowers and
Mat Gamel. In 2007, there were 5 former Indian
players who were named MVP of their league or
led their league in hitting or pitching.
As a high school player Johnson was an All
State selection in baseball, football, and basketball.
He also holds the Florida State and National
high school records for career interceptions with
43 as a defensive back.
Johnson’s began his career as a college
baseball player at Gulf Coast Community College
where he was a pitcher and third baseman
in the 1985 and 1986 for Head Coach Bill Frazier.
He earned an AA degree from Gulf Coast
in 1986. He then transferred to the University
of Central Florida where he was a pitcher in the
1987 and 1988 seasons. He held the school’s all
time career saves record at one time and earned
a BS in Physical Education.
Johnson began his coaching career at Marianna
High in 1989 where he led the Bulldogs
to a 127-48 record in seven seasons. He led
the team to three district championships, two
regional championships and a sub-regional. He
also won the school’s first-ever sectional championship
and took the Bulldogs to their first-ever
state championship final four in 1991.
He returned to his hometown of Bristol,
Florida in 1996 as head coach at Liberty County
High where he compiled a 25-7 record with a
runner-up finish in the 1996 state championship.
He amassed a high school record of 152-55
(.734) in eight seasons.
Coach Johnson and his wife Nancy have
an 13 year old daughter Shelbie.
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