12/10/2001 - Football
Paul Johnson Press Conference Transcript
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Paul Johnson Press Conference
Navy Football
Dec. 10, 2001
Alumni Hall
Navy Director of Athletics
Chet Gladchuk
"It is a pleasure to have everyone here for such an exciting time in Navy football. I am ecstatic over the sequence of events with the Johnson family joining us and actually coming home. Thanks to all of you and especially the fans, friends, Midshipmen and our corporate sponsors all of who have been so supportive of the Navy football program over the years."
Superintendent VADM John Ryan, USN
"This is an exciting day for the Naval Academy. For 156 years, our job has been to produce leaders for the country. What makes us unique is that we believe that you can develop these qualities just as easily on the athletic field as in the classroom. That is why all 30 of our intercollegiate sports are so important to us. Of course, football is the sport that much of the nation finds out about the Naval Academy. It is really exciting today to welcome back Coach Johnson and his family, Susan and Kaitlyn. We are thrilled to have you back in Annapolis. This is truly and exciting day for all of us, not just members of the football team.
"We believe that sports are part of the fabric and culture here at the Academy. We have graduates right now from Ensigns to Second Lieutenants, right on through to Admirals and Generals that are out conducting this war that America is now in. Many of those men and women are just as happy as we are today to welcome back Coach Johnson. I want to thank not only just Mr. Gladchuk, but also the other members of the search committee, RADM Tom Lynch, USN, Maj. Gen. Terry Murray, USMC, Capt. Jim Grant, USN, and Capt. Joe Speed, USMC, for their fine work. Chet will tell you just what a great record Coach Johnson has but I want congratulate him for finding a coach that is worried about graduation rates, knows what a challenge it is to recruit at the Naval Academy, knows what a special institution this is and that is willing to take on the job. We are truly excited to have you back Coach. The thing I admire the most is what your former players say about you. When we checked the men who were part of the team when you were here as the offensive coordinator, they admired you and your preparation, motivation and dedication. I went back and looked at some of the film from those days and what the kids say is true. There was a little swagger on the part of our offensive team during that period of time. We need to get that back. The men and women who graduate from this institution go on to more important things and they need that same self-confidence even more so after they graduate. Welcome home Coach."
Gladchuk
"Before I introduce Coach Johnson, I would like to go through some of the criteria we used to help put things in to perspective with what the screening committee was very in tune with. I won't go through all of the items that we looked for. Clearly credibility of the football community and enthusiasm for the fan base is evident today. He has a proven track record, which is something that I will share with you in a moment. Discipline was a key part of the analysis as far as how he would deal with our Midshipmen. The players will play hard and respect him and those who have spoken recently on his behalf can attest to that. A veteran staff is important. A staff that can bring us a level of expertise and knowledge to allow us to compete successfully and with great confidence at the Division I level. Integrity, ethical values and moral values are important. Paul and I had a long conversation about just that in his decision to come to the Naval Academy before he made the commitment. Understanding the military way of life is one of the criteria we looked at. With him being here in the past (1995-96) reflects just that. A proven track record of recruiting student-athletes, ones that are of the academic caliber of the Midshipmen. Someone that expects to win in a short period of time and that is Paul Johnson all the way.
"It took us a couple of weeks to gather our thoughts around midseason when a decision was made to look for a new football coach. Immediately, there were many candidates that showed interest through nomination, through recommendation and application, etc. It was a very confidential process, as our media knows in protecting those candidates that did step forward and show interest. To the media, I apologize in one respect because we didn't quite share the information that you had hoped for but on the other hand, all is well that ends well. From everyone in the process on both sides of the equation, I appreciate your patience and the way you worked with us.
"We narrowed it down to 12, then to six and then lower than that. I did a lot of research as did the advisory committee by talking to commissioners, directors, athletics directors all over the country, coaches and players all over the country. There were all kinds of solicitations that came through the ranks. In the final analysis, after a very cordial dialogue exchange regarding our offer to Paul, he accepted and we moved on. Now, we have a wonderful new head football coach.
"He has posted a 62-9 record, the winningest active coach in Division I football. He has won two-straight Division I-AA National Championships and are on the cusp of a third. They play Furman this weekend and if they beat Furman, they will go on the National Championship game again which would be the first time in history, anybody has won three in a row. He is the Division I-AA National Coach of the Year the last four seasons. He is one of only four coaches in the history of Division I football to win 50 games in his first four years of coaching. In five years at Georgia Southern, they scored an average of 40 points per game and broken more than 400 school records. In the short time he has been there, he has had 31 All-Americas and won 39-consecutive home games which is another Division I record. He has had 52 wins over the last three-plus seasons, which is the most in Division I. If you recall, he helped lead Navy to a 9-3 record when we played in the Aloha Bowl. I remember having no affiliation with the Naval Academy at the time and remember enjoying what was one of the finest football game I can ever recall, beating California in the Aloha Bowl. He has done a wonderful job everywhere he has been. He is respected all over the world. With that, I would like to introduce our new head football coach, Paul Johnson."
Head Coach Paul Johnson
"I am awfully excited to be here today. I think that not only are the people here at the Naval Academy excited, me and my family are excited as well. We are excited to be coming back to a school and institution that means so much to people in the country. We view this as a great opportunity. Certainly in making a decision to come back here, we had to think about everything involved. I can assure you that if the Johnson family did not think there was a chance to win at the United States Naval Academy, I wouldn't be standing here right now.
"We have outstanding young men. We are in the process of trying to put together the best coaching staff that we can fill and get to work recruiting. The thing I would ask everybody out here today is that you will all be a part of the transition. We all need to come together to try and rebuild the program. It is something that everybody here today wants. It is something that we are going to do. There is no excuse not to be able to play winning football here at the Naval Academy.
"I can assure you that we are going to hit the ground running. We will work extremely hard and accentuate to positives. I think you can look at things any way you want. My philosophy is that you try and accentuate the positives and try and build on those things. I think we have a lot of things to sell here at the Naval Academy. I am looking forward to getting to work. Hopefully, it is going to take me a couple of weeks to get back. I felt like it was very important in the process that I can continue to coach our team at Georgia Southern. I think I had committed to them and we were deep in the season and the playoffs. We have a chance to do something that nobody has ever done and that is to win three national championships in a row. I can assure you that while I am there, we will be working on both ends. We will have guys on the road recruiting, evaluating and doing everything we can to prepare for the upcoming season at Navy.
"Thank you Chet and Admiral Ryan for the opportunity. We are looking forward to it. Go Navy and beat Army!"
Questions from the media:
What else did you do today besides the press conference?
"I met this morning with the entire coaching staff and several of the support staff with the football program. Mr. Gladchuk and I were able to sit down and go over some things. We have a plan to get things running here while we are away. Hopefully, to get a start on recruiting and evaluating. I had the chance to address the team briefly at a team meeting. It has been a pretty full day."
Why did you make the announcement while Georgia Southern is still alive in the I-AA playoffs?
"I think that was a situation we talked about. Quite honestly, we thought it was going to leak and break. I felt like if our football team there was going to hear about it and let it be a distraction, that it would be better to get it out of the way. It also comes back to the point, I don't think either side wanted to duck and dodge it anyway."
What is it like to have a playoff system in Division I-AA?
"I think it is great. You get to win it on the field. It has been a very positive experience for me. We have been fortunate to have been in the playoffs all five years I was there and make it to the championship game the last three years, hopefully four. I can't think of any reason Division I can't have a playoff system."
With other schools interested, why did you choose to come to Navy with the program winning just one game the last two years?
"I look at this as an opportunity and a challenge. I know you can win here because we did it when I was coaching here before. I don't think you will find any finer people to work and coach with. I just choose to look at all the positives. There is a lot of upside. Once we get in here with our system and our coaching staff and work on a lot of things, it isn't undoable. I am the type of person, and I hope to find a lot on the football team that are the same way, that when you tell me I can't do something, I like to try and do it. There are a lot of people that say you can't win here and I think they are wrong and I hope we can show them that they are wrong."
Have you had the chance to compile a staff yet?
"We are working on that. We will have some guys in place here shortly. Right now I think it would be premature to talk about it. Certainly, there will be some guys that come from my staff at Georgia Southern as well. I think we are well on our way to bringing back several guys that were on the staff in the 1990s when I was here. The administration has been very committed. There has not been anything we talked about or asked for they haven't been willing to do.
"I think that is another thing that really sold me to come back. I wasn't sure, but when I met with the committee, I asked them what their commitment is to the program. They answered positively with what I wanted to hear. They have made a commitment and are committed to do everything they can do to help us get where we need to go. That is all you can ask."
Will you serve as your own offensive coordinator?
"Yes, so everybody can yell at me. I have done that for the last 14 years. I have called the plays and will continue to do that. We will have an offensive coaching staff that has either played in the system, a lot of which have played for me or coached with me. It won't be a question of difference philosophies. I can promise you that everybody over there will have the same philosophy and goals."
What is your philosophy on defense?
"It is a team game and you have to have all facets. We will be in the process of putting together the best defensive staff that we can. We will all have the same philosophy and focus. I am not big on being a dummy holders and sitting still so people run into you. My philosophy is to attack and play hard, so we can try and make plays. I have never been one of those bleed slowly guys. If there is any blood, I would rather see it early. I think it will be a fun and aggressive style of defense that the players will enjoy. To me, I don't think you need to be complicated, just having everybody knowing what their responsibility is and have a big case of the 'wants.' I know these young men have the 'wants' because I have been here."
Have you had any chance to assess the Navy personnel?
"I saw the Notre Dame game and I saw part of the Army-Navy game. I haven't sat down and really looked. That will be something that we do as a staff. When we came in here in 1995, a lot of guys got moved around. Our focus will be to get the best 22 players on the field. I had a quarterback named Dennis Cain, who was not going to be our quarterback but was a pretty good athlete. He ended up playing defensive end for two years here and was a great pass rusher and good player. I remember Chris McCoy was a defensive back when I came here. He came up and said, 'Coach, I have watched your offense and I think I can play quarterback.' I told him to get in line. After I saw two reps, I told him to get to the front of the line, so I think we will do some of that."
