Harvest Preparatory School honored one of Ohio’s most prominent and successful high school football coaches, dedicating Jack Johnson Field, its new football stadium, in his name on Aug. 23.
The dedication ceremony was held at halftime of the team’s game against Columbus Independence. The field is located at the southeast corner of Shannon and Brice roads, on the campus of World Harvest Church.
"I’ve never met a more compassionate or inspirational leader in the field of education than Coach Jack Johnson," said Pastor Rod Parsley, founder and president of the school. "He has made a great impact on my life, and he continues to influence young people after 40 years in education. It’s entirely fitting that this fabulous new facility be named after Jack Johnson and become part of his legacy of positively influencing young lives."
In addition to his duties with the Warrior football team, Johnson is headmaster at Harvest Preparatory School, a ministry of World Harvest Church.
Johnson spent 31 years as head football coach at Pickerington High School (now PHS Central) before retiring in 2000. After a three-year stint on the staff of The Ohio State University football Buckeyes, he returned to secondary education in 2004 as Harvest Prep’s dean of students. He became headmaster of the school in 2005, and is entering his third season as the Warriors’ head football coach.
A graduate of Liberty Union High School, Johnson has a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia Wesleyan University, where the was a three-sport athlete and earned All-America honors twice in both football and baseball. He also has a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Dayton. Inducted into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006, he also has been enshrined into the Fairfield County Hall of Fame, West Virginia Wesleyan Hall of Fame and Liberty Union High School Hall of Fame. He has 202 wins in 33 years of coaching football.
The field named in Johnson’s honor is a multi-purpose, year-round facility with a FieldTurf playing surface, which simulates natural grass and has proven to contribute to fewer injuries than earlier artificial surfaces. It will be used for track, soccer and football for all age groups and grade levels. It was constructed at a cost of $1.8 million, funded entirely through private donations, and will seat nearly 1,700 fans.
