 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1941-09-06)September 6, 1941 (age 84) Grace, Idaho, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Grace (Grace, Idaho) |
| College |
|
| Coaching career | 1963–2011 |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1963–1964 | Utah State (freshmen) |
| 1964–1968 | Weber State (assistant) |
| 1968–1971 | Weber State |
| 1971–1973 | Chicago Bulls (assistant) |
| 1973–1978 | Kansas City-Omaha/Kansas City Kings |
| 1979–1982 | Chicago Bulls (assistant) |
| 1982 | Chicago Bulls (interim) |
| 1982–1984 | Utah Jazz (assistant) |
| 1984–1988 | Kansas City/Sacramento Kings |
| 1988–2011 | Utah Jazz (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
| |
Philip Donald Johnson (born September 6, 1941)[1][2] is a former collegebasketball player and a former basketball coach. He played college basketball atUtah State University and Weber State, and has coached collegiately atWeber State University.
Philip Donald Johnson was born on September 6, 1941, inGrace, Idaho. He attendedGrace High School, where he excelled inbasketball and graduated in 1959.
Johnson attended Utah State University for one year before transferring to Weber College (nowWeber State University) inOgden, Utah, where he played on theWildcats basketball team for one season. In 1961, Johnson returned toUtah State University and played two years on theUtah State Aggies basketball team.[3] Playing under coachLaDell Andersen, Johnson was part of Utah State teams that made the NCAA tournaments of1962 and1963. Johnson averaged 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds in his senior season and graduated from Utah State in 1963 with aB.S. inphysical education, and in 1964 he completed his master's degree.[4][5]
Johnson began his coaching career in the 1963–64 season as the freshman basketball team coach at Utah State.[6]
In 1964, Johnson returned to his junior college alma mater, by then Weber State College, as an assistant coach underDick Motta. In four seasons with Johnson as an assistant, Weber State finished at the top of theBig Sky Conference in 1965, 1966, and 1968 and made the1968 NCAA Tournament.
In 1968, Johnson became head coach at Weber State. In three seasons with Johnson as head coach, Weber State was Big Sky regular season champions every season and made every NCAA tournament from1969 to1971. The Big Sky also recognized Johnson as Coach of the Year in those seasons, as well.[5] Johnson left Weber State with a 68–16 record.[7]
In his first NBA coaching job, Johnson again joined Dick Motta's coaching staff in 1971 with theChicago Bulls.[5]
On November 29, 1973, theKansas City-Omaha Kings hired Johnson as new head coach after firingBob Cousy.[8] Inheriting a 6–19 team, Johnson went 27–31 for the rest of the season, and the Kings finished 33–49.[9] The following season, Johnson led the Kings a 44–38 record and a berth in the1975 NBA Playoffs.[10] For this achievement, Johnson earned the 1975NBA Coach of the Year Award.[5] Johnson was fired on January 7, 1978, following a 13–24 start for the now Kansas City Kings.[11]
In 1979, Johnson returned to the Chicago Bulls, this time as an assistant coach onJerry Sloan's staff.[12][13] When Sloan was fired, Phil completed the year as Rod Thorn's assistant.
On July 20, 1982, Johnson joinedFrank Layden's staff on theUtah Jazz and would serve as an assistant coach for two seasons.[5]
On November 30, 1984, the Kansas City Kings hired Johnson as head coach, afterJack McKinney resigned following a 1–8 start. The Kings finished the 1984–85 season 31–51.[5][14] The Kings then moved toSacramento, California, and Johnson coached the Kings' first two seasons in Sacramento. The team made the playoffs the first season. Following a 14–32 start, in the second year, the Kings fired Johnson on February 9, 1987. This was the second time the team fired Johnson from the head coaching position.[15]
Johnson was an assistant coach with theUtah Jazz from December 11, 1988, until his resignation on February 10, 2011.[5][16] During his stint with the Jazz, he was named the NBA's top assistant coach four times by an annual survey of NBA general managers (2002, 2004, 2007, 2010).
In 1992, Johnson was inducted into the Weber State University Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame. On July 12, 2016, Johnson was awarded the inaugural Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award by the NBA Coach's Association. Utah State University inducted him into the Athletic Hall of Fame on September 4, 2016.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weber State Wildcats(Big Sky Conference)(1968–1971) | |||||||||
| 1968–69 | Weber State | 27–3 | 15–0 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1969–70 | Weber State | 20–7 | 12–3 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1970–71 | Weber State | 21–6 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| Weber State: | 68–16 (.810) | 29–5 (.853) | |||||||
| Total: | 68–16 (.810) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City–Omaha | 1973–74 | 58 | 27 | 31 | .466 | 4th inMidwest | — | — | — | — | |
| Kansas City–Omaha | 1974–75 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 2nd in Midwest | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Kansas City | 1975–76 | 82 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 3rd in Midwest | — | — | — | — | |
| Kansas City | 1976–77 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 4th in Midwest | — | — | — | — | |
| Kansas City | 1977–78 | 37 | 13 | 24 | – | fired mid-season | — | — | — | — | |
| Chicago | 1981–82 | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | interim | — | — | — | — | |
| Kansas City | 1984–85 | 73 | 30 | 43 | .411 | 6th in Midwest | — | — | — | — | |
| Sacramento | 1985–86 | 82 | 37 | 45 | .451 | 5th in Midwest | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost inFirst Round |
| Sacramento | 1986–87 | 46 | 14 | 32 | .304 | Fired mid-season | — | — | — | — | |
| Career | 543 | 236 | 307 | .435 | 9 | 2 | 7 | .222 | |||
Johnson and his wife, Ann, are the parents of two children, Mitchel and Nathan, and have two grandchildren, McKenna and Alexander. They reside in suburbanSalt Lake City.[5]
{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)Johnson, who at 69 is six months older than[Jerry] Sloan...