By MATT LEVINS
[email protected]
IOWA CITY ” If there is one word which can best be used to describe Tim Johnson, that word would be “passion.”
Johnson, a 1972 graduate of Morning Sun High School, has a passion for everything he does in life. He is passionate about his work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where he serves as that organization’s Midwest Region Director and oversees a staff of 40 and development and program services for the FCA in Indiana, Iowa, St. Louis and Illinois outside of Chicago.
Johnson has a passion for his family. His wife Lisa and their children, Allie and Timmie, are near and dear to his heart. He has a deep and unwavering love for his family.
And Johnson definitely has a passion for the sport of wrestling. Johnson, despite nearly losing a leg in a lawn mower accident at a young age, wrestled for Bob Darrah at Morning Sun, then wrestled at Coe College. After graduating from Coe, he went on to coach wrestling at Mount Vernon High School.
Johnson’s passion for wrestling still burns strong, although in a different light. Johnson, the play-by-play announcer for Iowa Public Television’s college wrestling broadcasts, is in his 20th season on the air. He loves it more and more with every passing meet.
“It doesn’t seem like 20 years. When I started this, I didn’t have any kids. Now, my daughter is a senior in high school and she’s looking at colleges and my son is a freshman in high school,” Johnson said during a break before the Iowa-Oklahoma State dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. “Iowa Public Television has been broadcasting college wrestling for 30 years and I have been a part of it for the last 20. It’s funny ” I still feel like a rookie. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long.”
Johnson nearly lost a leg in a freak lawn mowing accident when he was young. He was rushed to Burlington Medical Center, where Dr. Ted Mazur was able to reattach the leg. While Johnson still walks with a slight limp, it did not prevent him from wrestling.
“My parents always let me wrestle when I wanted to,” Johnson recalled. “I wasn’t able to play football anymore, but it didn’t prevent me from wrestling. My parents were my biggest supporters.”
It was through wrestling that Johnson met one of the most influential people in his life ” Morning Sun coach Bob Darrah. It was Darrah who encouraged Johnson to greater heights.
“It was incredible how much he inspired me early on,” Johnson said of Darrah. “I couldn’t play football anymore, but he told me, ‘As long as you can wrestle, you’ll be OK.’ Darrah told me I couldn’t use any excuses. Wrestling doesn’t allow any excuses.”
Little did Johnson know at the time, wrestling would not only become an outlet, it would become his profession.
Johnson continued to wrestle at Coe. After graduating in 1976, he became a graduate assistant at the University of Northern Iowa.
Johnson’s passion for the sport took him to Mount Vernon in 1977, where he was the high school coach for five years. In 1982, he became the assistant executive director for USA Wrestling. He also served as the Director of Wrestling for the 1984 Olympics.
But that could not satisfy Johnson’s passion for the sport. Once again opportunity came knocking at Johnson’s door.
When Chuck Patton stepped down as the color analyst on IPTV wrestling broadcasts, play-by-play man Doug Brown soon had himself a new partner.
In 1986, Johnson auditioned for the job. Twenty years later, he is a mainstay on the broadcasts.
For the first few years, Johnson would fly back from his home in Wichita, Kan., for each broadcast. In 1990, Johnson and his family moved to Champaign, Ill. Yet his passion for the sport has never allowed him to miss a single broadcast. Not that there haven’t been a few close calls.
“One time I was flying to Ames for a meet and got caught in a snowstorm,” Johnson said. “I was almost late for that one. I usually drive because that gives me a lot more flexibility time-wise.”
Ever since Brown died six years ago, Johnson has been the play-by-play voice on IPTV college wrestling broadcasts. For the past five years, he has teamed with color analysts Dan Gable and Jim Gibbons.
“Tim is most passionate about the coach-athlete relationship and the transmission of character between a coach and an athlete,” said Gibbons, the former Iowa State coach. “He is always quick to point that out whenever he sees it. I think that’s why he comes across so positively.
While Johnson has always had a passion for whatever he has done, he found that passion challenged when Gable came on board six years ago.
“We were sitting in a chalet office behind his house as we began discussions about him joining the broadcast team (after his retirement from coaching at Iowa),” Johnson said. “Gable starts out by reminding all of us that he’s used to being on a winning team, one always striving to be the best it can be and he believes it is no different with IPTV.
“Gable wheels around, points his finger right at me and says, ‘Timmie, you’re good. But you can be better!’ I sat straight up in my chair and my immediate thought was, ‘Yes, sir, Coach.’ To this day Gable’s challenge rings in my ears and I’ve taken it to heart in every area of my life. I can be better.”
Johnson has also joined the ESPN wrestling broadcast team.
Johnson’s passion continues to shine in all he does. Whether it be the time he spends with his family, the work he does with FCA or his broadcasts of college wrestling, Johnson is always striving to be a better man.
“This is a real gift and a real blessing,” Johnson said. “I like being a part of it.”
Wrestling Gear
Tim: We are long time followers of Iowa Wrestling, back to the days of Dave McCuskey . We enjoy your programs on IPTV and Mediacom 22. Last night you mentioned a match in Iowa City between Jimmie Zalesky and someone he pinned in the old field house. Jimmie was apparently the underdog in the match. Can you give a brief summary of the other wrestler ? I knew Lenny just a bit and always thought Jimmie to be one of the BEST wrestlers I ever saw. So much fun to watch.. Remember the match between Jimmie and Nate Carr when Carr went up a weight to improve the chances of Iowa State winning and Jimmie destroyed Nate as I recall in the old field house.
thanks for the memories.
jim kerr
iowa city.