Weber State University Athletics
Hall of Fame - Phil Johnson
3/5/2015 6:16:00 PM | Wildcat Club
Phil Johnson
Men's Basketball Coach (1968-1971)
Inducted February 1992
Many know Phil Johnson as an NBA coach, but few realize he started his coaching career as the junior varsity coach at Weber Junior College. He later took over the Wildcats head coaching spot for three seasons, posting high-water marks that may never be broken at WSU.
Johnson, a native of Grace, Idaho, played his college basketball at Utah State University, but was hired to join the Weber Junior College program under Dick Motta. He was Motta's assistant, but also guided the junior varsity program during that time, a key position because freshman weren't allowed to compete at the NCAA varsity level during that time.
Johnson was a big part of the Weber State success under Motta. When he was hired away by the Chicago Bulls of the NBA, Johnson stepped in for three seasons.
In those three campaigns, Johnson paced the Wildcats to a glossy 68-16 overall record, an amazing .810 winning percentage. That is the top mark all-time in Big Sky Conference history.
Johnson's 1968-69 squad went undefeated in Big Sky play, posting a season mark of 27-3 overall. The 27 wins was the most in a season at Weber State for many years.
In three seasons, Johnson guided the Wildcats to three straight Big Sky Conference championships and a trio of appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The 1968-69 Wildcats finished in the top eight in the NCAA postseason tourney.
Johnson went on to an NBA coaching career, earning Coach of the Year honors in 1975 with the Kansas City/Omaha Kings. He later worked for 23 seasons as the top assistant coach with the Utah Jazz, helping the Jazz make the NBA Finals after the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He was named the NBA's top assistant coach four times (2002, 2004, 2007, 2010) in a survey of NBA general managers.
Johnson and his wife, Ann, are the parents of two children, Mitchel and Nathan, and have two grandchildren.
Johnson was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, in 2011, along with Sloan. He now works as a television studio analyst on Jazz basketball broadcasts.