Pat Johnson knew he wanted to become a head football coach when he was in 11th grade at Lakes High, playing under then-Lancers coach Dick Zatkovich.
Thirteen years later, Johnson will get the opportunity.
Johnson was announced Wednesday as the head football coach at Foss High.
“They don’t come better than Coach Johnson,” Foss principal Bonnie McGuire said.
Johnson, 30, comes to Foss after spending three seasons as Lakes’ defensive line coach.
Previous to that, he was defensive coordinator at a high school in Augusta, Ga. That experience reinforced his desire to coach at a city school, such as Foss.
“(Augusta) had a rough element,” Johnson said. “I experienced the impact you can have on young men and students at school.
“When I saw the Foss job open up, the program fit what I want to do.”
Johnson takes over a Foss program that has struggled to find success. Since winning five games in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons, the Falcons are a combined 1-19 the past two seasons.
Johnson defused a rumor that Zatkovich will be Foss’ defensive coordinator, but Zatkovich, a member of the Washington State Football Coaches Hall of Fame, will have a small role.
Zatkovich won’t be a position coach, but he’ll observe practice and offer insight to the first-time head coach.
doug.pacey@thenewstribune.com 253-365-2975 blog.thenewstribune.com/preps @DougPaceyTNT
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