[ot-caption title=”Mr. Johnson has high expectations for another year of Panther sports. (via Mrs. Dardet)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0248.jpg”]

Prior to being named Athletic Director of Pine Crest School, Jeff Johnson had 14 years of experience working in Pine Crest’s Athletic Department. He had previously served as the Assistant Athletic Director and Middle School Athletic Director of the Fort Lauderdale Campus.

“As an assistant, I was very dedicated to the job and worked extremely hard ‘in the trenches,'” Johnson said. “I attribute this to being one of the reasons why I was chosen to be the Athletic Director.”

As for Johnson’s beginnings at Pine Crest, they were very humble. He had recalled, “I was coaching football at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi for a year. I saw our football coach, Jim Pletcher, at a football coaches’ convention and he offered me an opportunity at Pine Crest. I knew him from us coaching together at the University of Memphis 14 years ago.”

For Johnson, every day of his job is filled with responsibility. “With close to a hundred sports teams, there is always something to do and there is never a dull moment. The role of the athletic administration is to lead, direct, and support the coaches, the student-athletes, and the community,” he believes.

He recalled that stepping up to the plate as the Athletic Director has changed him greatly. “I’ve had to grow a thick skin. Also, going from colleague to supervisor is always an adjustment. However, I try just to be myself and remember, ‘it’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.'”

Johnson’s expectations for athletics at Pine Crest are high. He states, “My current expectations for athletics at Pine Crest are the same as my future expectations…simply put, it’s for our student-athletes to experience success both as a student and as an athlete. I want them to learn, grow, and develop as people. Our sports teams should always be competitive and winning state championships is always the goal.”

High expectations for anybody, let alone a new athletic director, however that confidence and poise that Johnson exhibits is one reason why he should have no difficulty adjusting to his new role as Athletic Director.