Paul Johnson

The win gave Navy 10 wins on the season, tying a school record that had stood since 1905.

For his efforts, Johnson received the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

Paul Clayton Johnson (born August 20, 1957) is a former American football coach.

Their 9–3 record was the best since 1978 and their 392 points scored were the most in school history up to that point.

Johnson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Western Carolina University in 1979, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order.

He did not play college football.

He also earned a Master of Science in health and physical education from Appalachian State University in 1982.

Johnson started his college career at Georgia Southern University in 1983, where he served as offensive coordinator for consecutive NCAA Division I-AA National Football Championships teams in 1985 and 1986.

From 1983 to 1986 they would win 40 games and score 619 points in 15 games in 1986.

Those teams were led by QB Tracy Ham who would go on to be a successful QB in the Canadian Football League.

He then spent eight seasons as offensive coordinator at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1987 to 1994.

Their offense averaged 372 points scored per season during his 8 years there and won 54 games.

While at Hawaii he would coach future collegiate head coach Ken Niumatalolo.

In 1992 they would finish with their best record in school history at 11–2, including a win in the Holiday Bowl over the University of Illinois.

They would also win the Western Athletic Conference title that season.

In 1995 and 1996, he served as the offensive coordinator at the United States Naval Academy and brought his option offense with him.

In 1996, Navy recorded its first winning season in 14 years, going 9–3 with a victory in the Aloha Bowl.

He served as the head football coach at Georgia Southern University from 1997 to 2001, the United States Naval Academy from 2002 to 2007, and Georgia Tech, from 2008 to 2018, compiling a career college football coaching record of 189–100.

Johnson began his head coaching career by returning to Georgia Southern, which he led from 1997 through 2001.

Johnson's Georgia Southern Eagles won consecutive NCAA Division I-AA Football Championships in 1999 and 2000.

He is noted for his use of the flexbone spread option offense.

During his tenure, the Eagles captured the Division I-AA National Championship twice more in 1999 and 2000, and finished as runner-up in 1998.

During his tenure as head coach, they finished with a record of 62–10 (86.1% winning rate).

Johnson is one of only four coaches to record 50 wins in his first four seasons as head coach at the Division I level.

In 2002, Johnson departed Georgia Southern and returned to Navy as head coach.

The 2003 team completed the regular season with an 8–4 mark, including wins over both Air Force and Army, and earned a berth in the Houston Bowl, Navy's first bowl game since 1996.

However, the Midshipmen lost to Texas Tech, 38–14.

In 2004, Johnson's team posted the program's best record since 1957, finishing the regular season at 9–2 and once again earning a bowl berth, this time in the Emerald Bowl.

There Johnson coached the Midshipmen to a win over New Mexico, 34–19, the fifth bowl win in the school's history.

The 2005 Navy squad recorded a mark of 8–4, highlighted by victories over Army, Air Force, and Colorado State in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl.

Johnson dominated The Commander-In-Chief's Trophy competition, going 11–1 (.917) in his six years, with the only loss against another service academy coming at the hands of Air Force in his first season.

Johnson rebutted this argument in numerous press conferences and interviews, asserting that several top teams, including 2005 national champion Texas and 2006 national champion Florida, used various forms of the option.

He was the first coach in Navy's history to go 6–0 in his first six seasons against Army (Ken Niumatalolo, who followed Johnson at Navy, went 8–0 against Army in his first eight seasons), and his 2006 senior class was the first in Navy history to win The Commander-In-Chief's Trophy all four of their years.

Much of Johnson's success was predicated on his triple option flexbone offense, a run-oriented attack that led NCAA Division I-A/FBS football in rushing yards three of his last four years at Navy.

Some have criticized the triple option as gimmick offense unfit for major college football, which may have explained the reluctance of some top programs to offer him a position despite his accomplishments at both Georgia Southern and Navy.

In 2007, he led Navy to beat Notre Dame for the first time since 1963.

Navy won in triple overtime, 46-44, ending a 43-game losing streak against Notre Dame.

In 2008, Johnson told ESPN's Mark Schlabach, "If we can run it against Boston College at Navy, why can't we run it against Boston College at Georgia Tech? If we can beat Pitt with this system at Navy, why can't we beat Pitt at Georgia Tech? Are we going to get worse players at Georgia Tech?"

Johnson's initial season saw the Midshipmen win only two of 12 games, though the season ended on a high note with his first victory over Army, which would not beat Navy again until 2016.

Subsequently, Johnson's teams enjoyed a high degree of success.