3Afan [Archive] - Texas DownLow Forum

bobcat1

11-22-2006, 09:27 AM

I'm not 3Afan but i got it for you. It is a good read. If they weren't playing us I would pull for them. If they win I will pull for them to the end!

Madison coach playing not to lose another one:
01:14 AM CST on Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Ronald Johnson ponders the question for a moment in a cluttered football office where some assistant coaches study game film, others discus Friday's opponent and youngsters on vacation play video games.

"I don't know what my record is," he says. "It's not important."

He's right.

Johnson, Madison's football coach, is more concerned with saving the lives of young black men and producing productive citizens from a neighborhood where crime, death and poverty are often part of everyday life than his win-loss record.

Having a football team ranked seventh in the state in Class 3A is simply a byproduct of his staff's commitment.

Johnson and his assistants talk constantly to their players about the importance of God and education. They teach them about accountability and respect.

The coaches break down their players with discipline and build them up with hard work and the kind of love that makes assistant Larry Lewis double-check whether some players have eaten at least three times before they go home because they're not guaranteed a meal once they leave school.

In the process, the players learn the price for success is high but attainable. More important, they see the tangible results of their labor: wins.

Twenty-nine of them in the last three seasons using a one-back, multiple offense and an aggressive, blitzing defensive scheme. The Trojans have advanced to the third round of the playoffs each of the past two seasons, losing each time to the eventual state champion.

Madison (10-0) plays Celina (11-0) on Friday in a Division II area-round playoff game at McKinney's Ron Poe Stadium. Winning or losing, though, will not define Madison's season.

It never does.

Johnson's validation will come years later, when he sees the type of men and leaders this team produced.

As a high school senior about 25 years ago, Johnson wasn't much different than the players he coaches. The youngest of eight children, Johnson grew up in south Dallas and attended Lincoln High School, a short drive from where his team went through a two-hour practice Tuesday morning.

He understands how the streets seduce young black men.

"I survived because my mother spent a lot of time praying for me," Johnson said softly. "She taught me right from wrong, and she taught me there was more to life than the ghetto. I played college ball at Bishop College for the late James Jones, and he taught us that just because you were from the ghetto, you didn't have to act like it."

Marcus Gates, who played on three district-winning teams at Madison in the late '80s, used to listen to Johnson's advice. Now, he's Madison's defensive coordinator.

"Coach Johnson showed me you could get an education and provide for your family without selling drugs," Gates said. "They helped me when I was a kid, and I wanted to do the same for the young men in our community."

This is no fairy tale, where every story ends happily. Johnson doesn't save every player. Each year, he loses someone to the streets. When that happens, the pain resonates, the tears flow and his resolve is strengthened.

"A job like this will take you through a gamut of emotions," he said. "These kids weigh on your heart, and you can't let it go because you love them."

The players seemingly get it.

Madison has sent players to Division I programs each of the past few years and will send at least one this year – star running back Shawnbrey McNeal has orally committed to Texas A&M. Johnson said he will find a home for any player who wants to further his education.

"If they don't to go to college," he said, "it's because they choose not to go."

Dominic Chatmon, an undersized linebacker, ranks second in his class. Corey Bradley, the starting center, is fifth.

Their handshakes are firm. Their eye contact is constant. Street slang is not part of their vocabulary when speaking with adults. They want you to know they aren't the exception at Madison.

"If you put your mind to it, you can get out of this community and make something of yourself, but a lot of the time, people use excuses for not doing it," Chatmon said. "If we could win a state championship, it would give hope to a lot of kids in the city."

Bradley said the players want to change the negative perception of the south Dallas school.

"When we do good in football and people see how we behave during and after the game, it brings attention to Madison." Bradley said. "They see us doing well with our schoolwork, and it shows that we're not that much different than the suburbs. Sometimes, it's bad around here, and sometimes it's good – just like life."

When Johnson took over the program, he said it hadn't won a game in three years. Let's not even talk about facilities, and gangs had infiltrated the team.

The quarterback belonged to one gang; the best receiver to another. Naturally, the quarterback didn't want to throw him the ball. In 2003, after countless sleepless nights and hours studying the Bible for strength and guidance, Johnson kicked several players off the team.

"I had taken all I could take. They were missing practice, and we didn't have any discipline," he said. "I had a team meeting and called out a few kids and told them to turn in their stuff. The other kids were shocked, but we really haven't had any problems since then.

"I knew we would lose without them – and we did – but it was worth it because we had a lot of great practices after that, and things were a lot better."

Madison finished that season 2-8. In 2004, it advanced to the regional semifinals.

These days, Johnson runs a football program that's building its own tradition. These kids expect to win on the field and in life.

It starts with their coach.

E-mail jjtaylor@dallasnews.com