THE FLATS – For the second time in less than a year, former Georgia Tech football head coach Paul Johnson has been selected for a prestigious hall of fame induction, as the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday that Johnson is a member of its 2024 class. Johnson is one of eight Georgia sports legends that will be inducted to the GSHOF on Feb. 23-24, 2024 in Macon.
Utilizing his patented spread option offense, Johnson compiled a career record of 189-99 (.656) in 22 seasons as a head coach, including an 82-60 record in 11 seasons at Georgia Tech (2008-18). His 82 wins are the fourth-most in Tech history, behind only Bobby Dodd (165), William Alexander (134) and John Heisman (102), while only Dodd won more games in his first 11 seasons on The Flats (91). Johnson’s .577 winning percentage with the Yellow Jackets ranks fifth in program history, behind only Heisman (.764), Dodd (.713), George O’Leary (.612) and Alexander (.580). Under Johnson, the Yellow Jackets compiled two of the nine 10-win seasons and one of the five 11-win campaigns in Georgia Tech’s 130-year football history.
He led the Jackets to nine bowl appearances and three Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Games and was named ACC Coach of the Year three times (2008, 2009 and 2014) during his 11 seasons at Tech. He was selected as National Coach of the Year by CBS Sportsline in 2008, marking the second time in his career that he received National Coach of the Year honors (Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year – 2004, Navy).
Johnson’s 22-year career as a head coach also included ultra-successful stints at Georgia Southern (1997-2001) and the U.S. Naval Academy (2002-07). In five seasons at Georgia Southern, he led the Eagles to a gaudy 62-10 overall record, two NCAA Division I-AA national championships (1999 and 2000) and five-straight Southern Conference titles. In six years at Navy, he led the Midshipmen to five eight-win seasons, five Commander-in-Chief’s trophies and five bowl appearances, turning around a program that had won just one game in the two seasons prior to his arrival (1-20).
When he stepped down at Georgia Tech at the end of the 2018 season, his 189 career victories ranked fourth among NCAA Division I FBS head coaches.
Johnson, who will become Georgia Tech’s 20th College Football Hall of Fame inductee in December, will be honored with a National Football Foundation Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute when the Yellow Jackets face North Carolina on Oct. 28 at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Tickets for Georgia Tech’s homecoming game versus UNC are on sale now. Click HERE to purchase tickets online.
2023 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS
Georgia Tech football season tickets, which guarantee the best seats and value for all of the exciting action of Tech’s six remaining home games in 2023 – including the Nov. 25 regular-season finale versus archrival Georgia at Bobby Dodd Stadium – are on sale now, starting at just $225. For more information and to purchase season tickets online, click HERE.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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