Johnson to depart Big Ned

[KFDM COOP]

Johnson to depart Big Ned

Tom Halliburton The Port Arthur News

NEDERLAND — One of the state's most successful girls coaches, Julie Johnson, is leaving Nederland after 25 years.

  Johnson told The News on Monday night that she had accepted a swimming coach and English teaching position at Arlington Sam Houston High School. The Tyler native will report to her new post Aug. 2.

  Building one of the region's true soccer empires, Johnson guided her Lady Bulldogs to 14 consecutive district soccer championships in her 19 seasons as head coach. She compiled a career mark of 289-126-23.

  Her Nederland team had not been a district champion in the past three years but she had divided her winter duties with soccer and swimming in the last three years.

  "I have had a great time at Nederland and it's going to be hard not coaching soccer after all this time," Johnson said.

  An Oklahoma University graduate and still a most loyal Sooners fan, Johnson came to the Golden Triangle in the mid-80's and became a head girls track and field coach as well as a junior varsity basketball coach for five years at Nederland.

  Nederland began boys and girls soccer in 1988. Johnson replaced Cindy Bordelon as head coach and started her successful tenure in the 1992 season, shortly before a friend and a cohort arrived at NHS.

  His name Larry Newuman, the Nederland head football coach and athletic director who has worked with Johnson over the past two decades.

  "Larry's been great to me," Johnson said. "He and I have had a great working relationship."

  While Johnson will miss Nederland and Neumann, she will appreciate some of the benefits from her new post very much. Julie will have to coach only one sport (swimming) along with her teaching duties. She still has a niece, a nephew and friends in the Norman, OK. area. Plus her mother (Janice) and brother (Don) continue to live in Tyler.

  "It was an opportunity to only have to coach one sport and it cuts my travel in half going to Oklahoma or the Tyler area."

Neumann paid tribute to Johnson on Tuesday afternoon.

  "We will dearly miss Julie and I wish her the very best," Neumann said. "Her record speaks for itself and it's not an accident.

  "Julie has set extremely high standards. She's been a consummate professional and she has achieved in an outstanding way. She motivated her players to achieve and pay the price and her people have achieved in an outstanding way."

  It was expected Tuesday that the NISD would fill most of Johnson's responsibilities in-house. Neumann said he would recommend assistant swimming coach Cheree Bolser to replace Julie to lead the swimming program. He also said NHS assistant coach Rafael Hernandez likely would succeed Johnson as the girls soccer coach.

  Hernandez started the boys soccer program at Port Arthur Thomas Jefferson before he was hired in the Nederland ISD. He has worked with Johnson for the past two seasons.

[rip2506]

Job Well Done by Coach Johnson!  I am sure the girls will miss her.



I hope Rafa has the same kind of success, I wish him well.. His daugher and mine have been Bffs  forever she was over there last night.

[fiveoclocksomewhere]

Good luck with your new job and new surroundings, Julie. You had a heck of a run!

[dualdellortos]

Good luck Julie! Who's gonna keep Don Smith on the straight and narrow now?!?!?!  ;D

[AIW]

Good Luck , J!