Former Men's Golf Coach Bill Johnson Receives GCAA Honor Award

Story courtesy of the Golf Coaches Association of America

NORMAN, Okla. ? Bill Johnson - former men's golf coach at Dartmouth - has been named the Golf Coaches Association of America Honor Award winner. Johnson will be formally recognized at the GCAA Hall of Fame Banquet Jan. 14 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fla. The Honor Award is presented annually to a member of the GCAA Hall of Fame who is retired from coaching and has made a significant contribution to the game of golf.

    Johnson took over coaching duties at Dartmouth in the fall of 1966 - when he succeeded long-time coach Tommy Keane - and coached through the 2001 season. Johnson's teams advanced to the NCAA Division I Championships 17 times and he mentored All-America selections in nine seasons. He coached the American team in the USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship in 1980. In 1999, his fellow New England coaches honored Johnson with the McCullough Achievement Award. Johnson was inducted in the GCAA Hall of Fame in 1990.

    Additionally, Johnson served as chair of the NCAA Golf Committee from 1982-84 and served as a member of the committee for seven years. He was also a co-founder of the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) in 1978. He served as president of the NEIGA in 2000-01, chairman of Ivy Golf for four terms and chairman of the Eastern College Athletic Conference in 1985.

    Johnson has also been active with the National Golf Foundation, serving as a consultant for the foundation from 1970-83 and winning its Consultant-of-the-Year Award in 1981. He also was a co-founder of both the New Hampshire PGA in 1967 and New Hampshire junior golf in 1976. Since his retirement from college coaching, he has stayed active in the game of golf by serving as a trustee at Southern Pines Elks Lodge and Golf Course and served as Rules chairman at the 2005 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship.

Schedules