Posted: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 11:08 AM | 3 comments |
 

Jim Johnson's important life
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We're taught in journalism school to be objective about the people we cover on a daily basis.

Some people we encounter, however, make that rule impossible to follow.

Jim Johnson was one of those people.

Six months ago I used this space to say that I was cheering from the press box for the Eagles' defensive coordinator to beat cancer. I said I'd gladly give him a standing ovation if he did so.

We found out early last evening that Johnson, like so many others, had lost his battle with metastatic melanoma.

This morning, I give Jim Johnson a standing ovation anyway because I know even more about the man than I did before yesterday.

As I was driving home from Lehigh University late last night, I received a couple of e-mails from Johnson's distant past.

One was from a man named Joe Johnson. Jim Johnson had recruited him to play at Notre Dame, then later coached him again with the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL. Joe Johnson hadn't forgotten Jim Johnson.

A half-hour later, another e-mail appeared from Mac Brand, who was recruited by Johnson to play at Drake University in the 1970s.

Many years passed, but these men never forgot Jim Johnson's impact on their lives.

As I made my 90-minute ride home, I thought about how cool it must be to have that kind of influence.

I already knew, of course, that Jim Johnson was a great coach. Plenty of statistics support that fact.

I also knew he was a tremendous man from my personal encounters with Johnson. The last one came a few months ago when Johnson courageously tried to continue coaching through his chemotherapy treatments at the Eagles' post-draft camp.

Jim and I made eye contact after a Saturday morning practice at the NovaCare Complex. I smiled and told him how good it was to see him.

He smiled back.

"It's good to see you," he said.

I could tell he meant it. I could tell how happy he was to be coaching football, too.

It says on Jackie Robinson's tombstone that "a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

Jim Johnson's life was incredibly important. 

 
Posted by Bob Brookover @ 11:08 AM  Permalink | 3 comments
3
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:48 PM, 07/29/2009
    I was lucky as a child to be the immediate next door neighbor to Jim in Broadview, IL. He was my ultimate childhood hero. He was so good to me, many times we would play catch with the football or baseball(he was a fabulous baseball player too) in our front yard. I remember one time when he was home from Missouri Univ. in the summer, he asked me to go to to our high school, Proviso East, and help him train for the upcoming season, I was so honored, I just glowed inside- I ran and told my mom, Jim wants me to go with him to the high school and help him train! I have so many great memories of Jim, his mom and dad, and his brother Eddie, he was a great friend and honorable man, he will be missed so much. Love you Jim.
    — cubbaholic
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:52 PM, 07/29/2009
    cubaholic - thank you for that glimpse!
    — JourneyHome
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:02 AM, 07/30/2009
    agreed,thanks cubbaholic,Jim will be sorely missed in Philly,god speed JJ
    — njsurf2001


3 comments
About Jeff McLane and Jonathan Tamari






Jeff McLane (left) began covering the Eagles in April 2009 after covering college sports and Penn State football in particular. Before that he wrote about high school sports and before that he worked in the mailroom (not quite). Find Jeff on Facebook and follow him on Twitter for instant updates on the Eagles.

Jonathan Tamari (right) began covering the Eagles in April 2010. He previously covered New Jersey state government and politics, reporting and writing about elections, policy debates and the many personalities that drive the Garden State, from three recent governors to the many musicians bidding to write the state song. He has been at the Inquirer since June 2008. Follow him on Twitter at @JonathanTamari.

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