Longtime Washington & Western Oregon track and cross country coach Mike Johnson to retire at end of academic year...
It's been quite the ride for Johnson and the Wolves, compiling 15 Great Northwest Athletic Conference indoor and outdoor track & field championships, along with leading the cross country team to numerous NCAA Cross Country Championship appearances.
"Regardless of your funding, you're expected to still have champions and win championships. For me, the privilege is to follow people that change people's lives. What I will miss is the connections to the people and all of the relationships," he added.
Johnson has helped WOU become one of the top distance medley relay teams having won back-to-back national titles in the men's DMR in 2017 and 2018. Leading the way in both of those teams were All-Americans David Ribich and Dustin Nading. Ribich, the most decorated student-athlete in school history, won consecutive outdoor national titles in the 1,500 (2017-18) and he reached all-time Division II marks in the indoor mile (3:58.88), indoor 1,000 (2:21.38) and indoor 3,000 (7:50.81).
Nading became a three-time national champion by defeating the field in the mile at the 2018 National Championships and has continued his career as a graduate transfer at the University of Washington.
Ribich currently runs professionally for the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts.
Prior to joining the Wolves, Johnson's career includes tenures as the head coach at Highline Community College (1972-74), Eastern Washington University (1974-76), University of Portland (1976-86), University of Washington (1986-98), and Boise State (1998-2000). He was also an assistant coach at WOU for three seasons prior to becoming the program's leader in 2004.
At Washington, he won the school's first Pac-10 women's team title in 1989, led by Michele Buresh, who finished eighth. The Huskies won two NCAA women's West Regional cross country championships in 1989 and 1992, and went to four NCAA championships, with a high placing of 12th in 1989 and 1992.
Under his guidance, the Huskies won the 1993 Pac-10 cross country title, and went to six NCAA cross country championships, and achieved the program's highest finish in 1989, a fourth place finish, led by Alan Hjort's 23rd place finish.
Johnson produced seven cross country All-Americans at Washington and six in track during his tenure.
The Rainier Beach HS grad has won numerous honors during his career as he is a three-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year, four-time NCAA West Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year and has earned NAIA National Coach of the Year honors.
Johnson graduated with a bachelor's and master's degree in physical education from Eastern Washington.
NOTE: Western Oregon University, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and the University of Washington sports information offices contributed to this report.
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