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Scott Johnson is in his third year as Athletics Director at Fresno State. The department veteran, who held the job on an interim basis for the six previous months, took over for Al Bohl on Jan. 7, 2002.
In a short time, Johnson has already made a huge impact on the program by hiring two highly successful coaches in men's basketball coach Ray Lopes and women's basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein. Lopes, the 2003 WAC Coach of the year, guided the Bulldogs to a WAC title in his first season and Johnson-Klein led Fresno State to a 20-win season and WNIT appearance in her first year. In the second year, the women's basketball attendance grew to nearly 4,500, shattering single season attendance records.
Johnson took over a financially strapped athletics department and made some difficult decisions that included reducing the department's administrative costs and sports offerings. The tough decisions proved fruitful, as one year later the athletics department was in the best, most stable financial situation in more than a decade.
Despite cutbacks, Johnson's vision for the future of Bulldog athletics includes growth, as he spearheaded the efforts to introduce women's golf as a varsity sport to the department beginning in the fall of 2004. The department broke ground on the $5 million Ricchiuti Academic Center and expansion of the Duncan Building, which will open in the late fall. The Ricchiuti Center will benefit all Bulldog student-athletes, offering computer labs, tutorial stations, study labs and offices for academic service personnel.
Additionally, Johnson has called upon his vast experience to draft a strategic plan that will be a road map for the athletics department's academic, athletic and financial future for the next five years.
Johnson has been actively involved in building a solid financial future at Fresno State. He was instrumental in the founding of the Green V Association, which will work closely with Fresno State's Bulldog Foundation and the Fresno State Quarterback Club to raise money. The Green V Association will target large gifts and donations. Additionally, a new development director was hired to help the department seek funds for operational and capital projects. Johnson's vision includes expanding Bulldog Stadium and building a new althletics department complex at the south end of the stadium. Under his direction, the department signed an all-sports apparel agreement with Nike.
Serving as the department's liaison for the Save Mart Center project and overseeing the $10 million personal seat license fund-raising campaign, Johnson was instrumental in the planning and development of the $103 million project which broke ground May 8, 2001 an opened in November 2003. In conjunction with project coordinator Debbie Adishian-Astone, Johnson proved invaluable in the university's contract negotiations with Pepsi and Save Mart that resulted in an initial $40 million donation to the project, the largest of its kind in the nation. In the first year at the Save Mart Center, the Bulldog men's basketball team averaged more then 14,000 fans per game.
Having served as an associate athletics director for six years (1995-01) and assistant athletics director for four years (1991-95), Johnson arrived at Fresno State on Aug. 5, 1981. He became the athletics department's media relations director and oversaw the promotion and coverage of 18 Division I-A sports for 11 years.
As the director at Fresno State, Johnson worked NCAA Basketball Regional tournaments, been a media director for baseball in NCAA regional and conference tournaments, and coordinated publicity crusades for national caliber student-athletes, including Heisman Trophy campaigns for Kevin Sweeney and Trent Dilfer. His experience in media relations led him to Fresno State after being an assistant sports information director at Oregon State for five years. At OSU, he was the media contact for men's basketball, baseball and wrestling. Winning national awards for his media guides in baseball, wrestling and track and field while with the Beavers, Johnson also served as the publicity director for the Oregon Community College Athletic Association for three years.
Prior to joining the athletics department staff at Oregon State, Johnson was the sports information director at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City for four years. A former student-athlete in basketball and baseball at Clackamas, he was honored with a national junior college award for his 1975 football media guide. For his success, Johnson was inducted into the Northwest Athletic Association of Community College's Athletic Hall of Fame on June 3, 1993.
His background in media relations has allowed Johnson to wear several hats in his tenure at Fresno State.
Looking to create revenue for the athletics department, Johnson developed the Bulldog Authentic Apparel merchandise entity and has attained financial success for The Bulldog Shop. Still further, Johnson has been responsible for football scheduling and has developed the most aggressive non-conference schedules in school history with the likes of UCLA, Wisconsin, Washington, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Kansas State. The Badger and Wildcats will be make visits to Bulldog Stadium in the near future.
Overseeing radio and television contracts since 1991, his radio and television background was vital in the recent development of the WAC/ESPN television package. The package gave the football program 16 national television appearances in its last 28 games. Johnson's responsibility in radio and television also included the birth of one of the most comprehensive media packages for women's sports in the Western Athletic Conference.
Johnson has been in the role as a sport supervisor for football, men's basketball and baseball as well as overseeing the areas of marketing, media relations and athletics training. He has seen his sports enjoy postseason success, including two football bowl appearances and two trips to the NCAA Tournament in basketball the past three years as well consecutive NCAA Regional appearances by the baseball team in 2000 and '01.
With 27 years of experience on the Division I level that has spanned the areas of public relations, media relations, radio and television, fund-raising and special projects, Johnson is a 1972 graduate from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism. He received his master's degree in sports administration from Fresno State in 2000.
Johnson, who was born in Weiser, Idaho, on July 2, 1950, and his wife Karen, who is Fresno State's Director of Housing and holds a master's degree in athletics administration from Ohio University, have two sons in Troy and Austin and a daughter, Alexis.
