This begins Coach Johnson’s third season as Head Track & Field Coach for the Griffins and fifth season overall in the PSAC. Since joining the PSAC in ’20-21, he’s led 10 individual champions (2 Mansfield/8 Seton Hill), 9 runner-up performances (3 Mansfield/6 Seton Hill) and multiple All- Conference achievements. During his tenure at Seton Hill, 19 School Records have been set along with 6 PSAC Championship/All-Time Records.
2024 was a special year as Natasha Bernett was a 3x First-Team All-American and 5x PSAC Champion. She set six PSAC Championship/All-Time records. Their efforts together earned end- of-the-year accolades including PSAC Field Athlete of the Year, Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year, and Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.
At Mansfield, Johnson led the men's track and field team to their highest finish as a team (7th) with 37 points, with two PSAC Champions and four All-Conference finishes in his first season with the Mountaineers. In his short time at Mansfield, he guided Mountie Athletes to four new Indoor school records and multiple top 10 all time finishers. At last season’s outdoor championships, the Mountaineer athletes set two new school records in addition to earning multiple All PSAC honors.
Prior to Mansfield, Johnson spent four years as the assistant cross country and track and field coach at the University of Southern Indiana. Johnson immediately made his impact felt on the Screaming Eagles’ campus when he recruited the program’s first ever non-distance event class in school history. Under Johnson’s guidance, seven individuals and three relay teams scored at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships.
In 2020, Johnson oversaw the Screaming Eagles’ first NCAA National qualifier and All-American sprinter Zach Barton, who as a freshman qualified for the 60-meter dash Nationals before being named to the All-American Team. During his time at USI, Johnson’s sprinters and jumpers totaled 33 top-five marks in program-history, while leading 13 students to school records. Johnson was able to transition multiple athletes into top performers at events they had not competed in before attending USI.
Johnson started his coaching career in 2014, where he was the head track and field coach at Wayne Memorial High School and the founder/head coach of Intensity Track Club. During that time, Johnson mentored the Michigan state record holder for boys 400-meter dash (46.29) and led the 2017 Intensity 100- and 200-meter dash girls sprinters to an AAU National Championship with times of 11.61 and 23.5, respectively. A number of Jamal’s athletes qualified and competed at the AAU Junior Olympics from 2014-17.
Jamal was a volunteer assistant track and field coach at Wayne State University during the fall of 2016, where he implemented training programs for short and long distance sprinters.
A native of Detroit Mich., Johnson received his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and minor in coaching from Eastern Michigan University.
Coach Johnson is an Executive Committee member for United States Track & Field Cross Coaches Association. He also is part of NCAA. Coaches Connection. He currently holds certifications in Strength & Conditioning, Sprints/Hurdles/Relays Specialist, Jumps specialist, and a special endorsement in Long Sprints.
