In 2023-2024, Jeff Johnson enters his 28th season at the helm of the Chipola Baseball program just 14 wins shy of 1000. Johnson led the Indians to their first National Championship in 2007 then repeated the accomplishment with back-to-back National Titles in 2017 and 2018. His teams have won 14 Panhandle Conference Championships and six FCSAA/Region VIII Championships, including three consecutive titles from 2017 to 2019. Coach Johnson has built Chipola into one of the premier JUCO programs in the country and compiled an outstanding overall record of 986-460-3 (.680). He is a member of the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (Class of 2022) and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame (Class of 2023).

Under Johnson, the Indians have won the extremely competitive Panhandle Conference fourteen times (’01, ’02, ’03, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’11, ’12, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, '22) and received State Tournament berths as conference runner-up six times (‘97, ‘98, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, and '19). Proving success at the State Tournament, Johnson’s Indians have played in the State/Region VIII Championship Game nine of the last fifteen years. (*No State Tournament held in 2020) 

Johnson has received numerous coaching awards during his time at Chipola. He was named NJCAA National Coach of the year and ABCA/NJCAA Division 1 National Coach of the Year in 2007, '17, and '18, NJCAA Gulf Region Coach of the year in 2007, '08, '11, '17, '18, & '19 and Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year in '01, '02, '03, '05, '06, '07, '11, '12, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, and '22. From the professional ranks, Coach Johnson was also named Florida Diamond Club and Southeast Professional Baseball Association Coach of the Year in 2007.

Johnson has also done tremendous work in graduating and developing players to move on to higher levels. He has had over 240 players move on to four year universities and/or professional baseball. As of 2021, over 100 players have been drafted out of Chipola since Johnson became the head coach. In 2017 alone, Chipola had 11 players drafted, tied for for the most that season with Stanford University, University of Texas, and the University of Michigan. Overall, Coach Johnson has coached 19 Major Leaguers in his 27 years at Chipola including MLB All-Stars (Jose Bautista - 6x; Russell Martin – 4x; Patrick Corbin - 2x; Adam Duvall - 1x).

JEFF JOHNSON BIG LEAGUERS (Years at Chipola)

Johnson has coached four 1st round draft picks in LHP Adam Loewen (2003), RHP Alan Horne (2004), OF LeVon Washington (2010) and Cam Collier (2022), 2nd round picks 1B Reynaldo Rivera (2017), LHP Evan Steele (2017), LHP Patrick Corbin (2009), and OF Andrew Toles (2012), 3rd round picks LHP Kyle Pawelczyk (2002), RHP Ryan Chaffee (2008), and LHP Michael Mader (2014), along with 4th rounders Mat Gamel (2005) and Ivan Johnson (2019). Johnson also coached 11 JUCO All-Americans. 

As a high school player, Johnson was an All-State selection in baseball, football, and basketball at Liberty County High School in his hometown of Bristol, FL. He held the Florida State and National high school records for career interceptions with 43 as a defensive back.

Johnson began his career as a college baseball player at Gulf Coast Community College. He was a pitcher and third baseman in 1985 and 1986 for Head Coach Bill Frazier. After earning his AA degree, he then transferred to the University of Central Florida where he was a pitcher in the 1987 and 1988 seasons for Head Coach Jay Bergmann. He held the school’s all-time career saves record at one time. Johnson graduated with a Bachelor of Science  in Physical Education.

Johnson began his coaching career at Marianna High in 1989 where he led the Bulldogs to a 127-48 record in seven seasons. He led the team to three district championships, two regional championships, and a sub-regional. He also won the school’s first-ever sectional championship and took the Bulldogs to their first-ever state championship final four in 1991. He returned to his hometown in 1996 as head coach at Liberty County High School, where he compiled a 25-7 record with a runner-up finish in the 1996 state championship. He amassed a high school record of 152-55 (.734) in eight seasons.

Coach Johnson and his wife Nancy have a daughter, Shelbie.