Since 2006, Coach Johnson has taken his message of inspiration across the country, telling audiences everywhere that "Dreams Really Do Come True". Coach Johnson, following two very successful years speaking to a wide range of audiences is accepting invitations to speak at your events or to your special audience. His contact information is available on this website at the main menu. "Thank you so much for coming down and visiting us. I had so many people stopping me in the hallways to rave about your performance – I’ll forward you one e-mail that captured the team’s sentiments best. “Coach Johnson came and shared his inspirational story with our whole team of 225 employees and moved us to tears. Anybody who has seen the video of the game can’t help but be inspired by it. But what we found even more engaging about Coach Johnson’s presentation was “the story behind the story.” And in many ways, while his message is profound and powerful, it is even more so for a leadership team – his message about enabling others to reach their dreams rings so true and is so needed that I can recommend him to any group as a speaker." Thanks again, Coach, for reminding us of why we are all here! Regards, Marc Cenedella CEO & Founder TheLadders.com

Coach Johnson's Story:

Based on what transpired in a few short moments in early 2006, Coach Jim Johnson is now an authority on the subject of realizing your dreams. In his many public-speaking appearances, the Rochester, New York resident relates his role in a basketball game that got Hollywood calling. He also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship, delivering his talks with a heartfelt style that has brought audiences to their feet.

Coach Johnson has developed winning high-school basketball teams for the last 22 years, taking over three losing varsity programs and turning them into winners in short periods of time. Of his 287 career victories, one in particular will surely never be duplicated.

On Feb. 15, 2006, Coach Johnson made the kindhearted gesture of inserting his autistic manager, Jason McElwain, now known to the world as J-Mac into Greece Athena High School's final home game, which the Trojans won 79-43. J-Mac scored 20 points in just over four minutes, including six three-point baskets, to become an instant national celebrity. Coach Johnson, also, was featured in major news outlets around the country.

To make the Hollywood ending complete, Greece Athena captured the first Section 5 title of Coach Johnson's career a few weeks later. A second sectional crown followed in 2007, and Coach Johnson then coached the Trojans to their third straight league title in 2008 by posting a perfect 12-0 record in league play, netting Coach of the Year honors.

Coach Johnson has made a number of radio and television appearances, including the Oprah Winfrey and Jim Rome shows. In 2006 he met President George W. Bush, Governor George Pataki, and Senator Hillary Clinton, to name just a few luminaries. The Athena team was also paid a visit at school by NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who is involved in making the J-Mac story into a major motion picture. And, J-Mac's magic moment won the ESPY for "Best Sports Moment" at the ESPN awards show later that year. In the spring of 2007, Coach Johnson met Clay Aiken while appearing as a special guest in Raleigh, N.C., at the music superstar's annual gala to benefit children with special needs.

Coach Johnson was named Coach of the Year in 2006 by several Rochester-area organizations, and was also presented with a National Sportsmanship Award. These honors brought to light an impressive body of work over the past two decades. His career record is 287-183, with divisional titles in 1996, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and again in 2008 as his team finished 19-3. He has had winning seasons in 14 of the last 15 years, finishing .500 the other year.

Coach Johnson has rolled his accomplishments and experiences into a presentation, "Dreams Really Do Come True," which he gives to various business and civic organizations around the country. His one-hour talk also emphasizes "The Essence of Teamwork" and "The Ultimate Level of Sportsmanship." For instance, he likes to point out that J-Mac's big night was made possible by unselfish teammates who kept passing him the ball even though they hadn't been instructed to do so. He also notes how the game video captures Athena bench players going as wild as the crowd with every J-Mac basket.

Coach Johnson, 49, lives in Greece with his wife of 25 years, Pat, and their son Tyler, 17. He is a physical-education teacher at Athena and has served 12 seasons as the Trojans' varsity coach. In addition to his speaking engagements, Coach Johnson is working on his own book, recounting the life lessons that he and his team took out of that amazing 2005-06 season. (For details, click on the "Book Information" link to your left.) Coach Johnson has also developed a 1/2-day workshop on leadership and team building.

Story by: Mike Latona