Johnson Inducted Into Adminstrator's Hall of Fame

FAYETTEVILLE -- "If you build it, they will come."

The famous line from the movie "Field of Dreams" can often resonate beyond the cornfields of Iowa. And in the case of the Fayetteville School District athletics program more than 20 years ago, the same thought process was the backbone to one of the most successful administrative careers in Arkansas history.

Dick Johnson took over as Fayetteville athletic director in the fall of 1992, soon after he began as head football coach with the Bulldogs. At the time, the view around Harmon Field and outlook of the entire school athletic program, was world's apart from where it stands today.

"We had no football stadium, our dressing room was a rock building where the coach's offices were," Johnson said. "The stadium was condemned.

"We had very little for female athletes and our facilities were the worst among the larger schools in the state. So from that came the blue chip for what we were trying to do."

Johnson gave up his coaching duties after the 1995 season and concentrated on his athletic director role full-time. And he wasted no time beating the pavement to turn the the Fayetteville program from an eyesore to one that is regarded as the best of the best.

"It really hit me after a football game in that dreadful 1995 season," Johnson said. "I heard two guys having a conversation, and one of them looked around the stadium and said, 'What do these kids have to be proud of?'

"They had nothing. So that's where the Harmon Renovation Project was born."

Johnson, who was inducted into the Arkansas High School Administrator's Hall of Fame on Friday, made all the necessary calls. He fought to raise all the needed money and eventually got the funds to help build a new fieldhouse, new stadium seating, a scoreboard, restrooms and Fayetteville's unique Clayton Spencer Bell Tower that sits in the south endzone at Harmon Stadium.

The renovation project was just the first of Johnson's long and tedious tasks at Fayetteville, but not his last. Over the course of his 17-year athletic director career, facilities in almost all sports were either started or upgraded. And with the improvement in facilities came even more success on the field.

Fayetteville won 46 state championships under Johnson's watch, with titles coming from 15 different boys and girls sports. But more than trophies in the case, Johnson took pleasure in Fayetteville's vast improvement in participation.

"It was great to win championships, but my proudest moment was to see all of the participation," Johnson said. "It kind of made me said when they moved the track away from the football field.

"I used to love sitting in my office over the field. Just looking down on the field and seeing all those kids, playing different sports on that field was my biggest joy. So for me, my highlights might be different than what someone else may perceive them to be."

Fayetteville was already an accomplished basketball school and had won many state championships in sports like cross country and tennis years before Johnson arrived. But to see the entire program come together was a true testament to his work.

Along with the Harmon Renovation project, a new baseball field was built and was actually the first facility to be completed under Johnson's administration. Softball moved to Lady'Dawg Yard under Johnson, and both boys and girls soccer teams were formed and grew into state championship-level success.

"Dick took it upon himself to go into the community," Fayetteville baseball coach Vance Arnold said. "He helped start our baseball field and got behind the softball facility and a lot of other stuff. And it wasn't easy stuff to get done."

Johnson had faith in the Fayetteville community and the Bulldogs' supporters just as much as he did in his own coaches and student athletes. Many projects weren't fully funded when they began, but Johnson trusted the public supporters would chip in and help get the job done.

And they did.

Johnson's faith in Fayetteville also poured over in his work to attract more Arkansas Activities Association events to the area. He was the driving force behind the Weekend of Champions and spearheaded a campaign to bring the AHSCA All-Star games from central Arkansas to Fayetteville.

"The way we got the All-Star games was fluke deal," Johnson said. "They had overbooked some hotels in North Little Rock, so they opened it up to bids for one year.

"We saw that as our chance. We put on a big presentation and invited 36 very influential people to attend. And of those 36 invited, 32 showed up, and we're talking about coach (Frank) Broyles, bank presidents and John Tyson. We had Mike Nail emceeing a video we put together and by the time our presentation was over, we felt like there was no way they could turn us down."

Johnson left his position as Fayetteville athletic director and assistant superintendent in August of 2009. Today, he works as vice president for Development and School Relations for Five Star Sports. A long-time musician, he recently released a CD and can still be found jamming out tunes from time to time on Dickson Street as well.

And although he's been gone for a few years now, Johnson still takes plenty of pride in seeing the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs do well.

"I absolutely do (take pride)," Johnson said. "But really if you think about it, school business is people business. How can I create opportunities for these kids? That's the question I asked and the question I tried to answer.

"Good things happened at Fayetteville and I don't see them ending as long as they have good people. And with me, things are really good right now."