Joe Johnson joined the Wayne State football coaching staff in the summer of 2017 as a graduate assistant coach helping with the defensive backs.
In his lone season with the Warriors (2017), he helped mentor three Academic All-GLIAC honorees, including Kyle Toth who received GLIAC All-Academic Excellence recognition. In addition, cornerback James Howard was voted to the All-GLIAC Second Team, and junior cornerback Myron Riley, a junior college transfer, was voted WSU's Defensive Rookie of the Year.
A 2015 graduate of WSU with a degree in secondary education, Johnson spent the previous school year (2016-17) as a Learning Lab Supervisor at Allen Park Middle School. Â
He has been an athletics coach in the Allen Park Public Schools system working with football (eight years), track & field (five years), and basketball (four years). Johnson was the defensive backs coach at Allen Park High School for three seasons (2013, 2015, 2016) and also served as the special teams coordinator in 2016.
In 2016, he tutored one All-State Honorable Mention selection and four all-area honorees as the Jaguars won the Downriver League title for the second consecutive season.
The previous year, he mentored two News Herald All-Area Dream Team selections along with three All-League honorees.
Johnson graduated in 2009 from APHS where he earned nine varsity letters (four in track & field, three in football and two in basketball).Â
As a senior football player in 2008, he was named to the Detroit Free Press All-Metro West Team along with being a Downriver News Herald All-Area Dream Team selection. Johnson played football for MHSAA Hall of Fame Coaches Tom Hoover and Jim Buttson.
In track, he was the league champion in the 200m in addition to being a two-time state regional finalist for the 100m and 200m.
During his undergraduate career at WSU, Johnson served as a filmer for the Warrior football program during the 2014 campaign.
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