UMKC Hall of Fame Spotlight - Dee Dee Johnson (Fortman)
1/13/2010 6:00:00 PM | General, Track and Field, Athletics
by Dan Stroud
Kangaroo Nation athletics literally jumped out of the blocks at the beginning of the new millennium thanks to the achievements of Deirdre 'Dee Dee' Johnson (Fortman). The 2000 Mid Continent Conference Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year still has the records to prove it.
But UMKC's all-time record holder for the indoor and outdoor triple jump holds far greater memories of her alma mater than those achieved on the field. An unmistakable affection for her teammates shines through as she speaks about those years.
"We were all so very close," she said. "Everybody looked out for one another."
But the road back home to Kansas City after initially leaving the area to perform at the University of South Carolina was rather thorny. Johnson suffered a severe knee injury at USC which ended her brief career in Columbia.
When Dee Dee started back to school, however, she decided this time to stay close to home and attend UMKC. Her greatest appreciation is reserved for jumps coach Chris Brown.
"He was just a very caring person who would give you a chance," said Johnson. "I wasn't doing well [with the knee injury] when I first arrived, but he still took a shot on me and gave me that chance to succeed."
Success came for the Kangaroo jump star in the classroom as well at UMKC. Some of her fondest memories on campus came from time spent at the Bloch School of Business while working in the master's program.
She recalled the benefits she gained from the group assignments that were doled out in her small business classes. There were always different projects assigned in which individuals learned to solve problems as part of a group.
"With any job ... you have to come up with solutions," said Johnson. "You can be creative and try new things. Those lessons have been extremely valuable to me. "
After finishing school, it was time to start her career. Johnson took a position in Orlando, Fla., with Progressive Insurance. But something was missing ... she found a track and started training again. That's when her fortunes took a turn.
While training, she met her future husband, Charles Johnson, Jr., a former track star in his own right, in Tampa. The new couple spent time after that in Gaineville with aspirations to compete at a higher level, but eventually returned to her husband's hometown.
Today, Johnson is head coach for the boys cross country/track and field program at King High School in Tampa, her husband's alma mater. Interestingly enough, she now says those lessons from her days at the Bloch School apply in ways she couldn't have imagined at the time.
"We [she and her husband] don't do things the same way each year," said Johnson. "We're always looking for new and improved ways to coach our kids."
It's evidently paying off quite nicely. Her most recent cross country team qualified for the Florida Regional meet for the first time in six years. She has coached the team for the past three seasons.
Johnson also teaches high school reading after having taught fourth grade reading in the past. She talked about reading strategies and other ways to improve kids' reading skills. She looks forward to seeing the 'fruits of her labor' in the future, but says it's still too early to measure.
"I've seen a lot of changes in my kids," she said. "I feel so blessed to be able to touch so many lives both in the classroom and on the track."
As the new decade begins, Johnson is in the process of organizing a track meet which carries her husband's name. The Charles Johnson Jr. Invitational is a Tampa area high school meet in its 15th year of existence.
Refreshingly, even as busy as the 2010 UMKC Hall of Fame inductee seems to be, her thoughts don't seem to fall far from the Kangaroo campus.
"Everyone was always so encouraging," Johnson said. "I cherish the moments I had there."
The UMKC Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Jan. 22 at the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City.
(This is the first of a seven-part series featuring the 2009 UMKC Athletics Hall of Fame class.)
