La. Tech hires Johnson as new track coach

RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech VP and Director of Athletics Eric Wood announced today that the university has hired Olympian and four-time NCAA Division I national champion Brian Johnson as its head track and field coach.

The hiring is pending the approval of the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System.

Completing his fifth year as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at New Orleans, Johnson's squad this year boasted the 47th ranked men's track and field program, a fifth-ranked men's 100m event group and sprinter Ismael Kone, who recorded back-toback appearances in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

"We always talk about competitive excellence as part of our mantra within our athletics department, and we have hired a competitor in Brian Johnson," said Tech VP and Director of Athletics Eric Wood. "Brian has excelled at the highest level of his profession both as an Olympian and a national champion. He has competed against the best the world has to offer.

"Brian has proven in his coaching career that he can develop student-athletes into national championship caliber competitors. We are excited about Brian taking the reigns of our track and field program and leading it back to a championship level."

Johnson comes to Louisiana Tech from the University of New Orleans where he has led the Privateers track & field and cross country programs since the fall of 2018. He takes over the reins after 40-year veteran Gary Stanley retired at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.