Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson. , As a student-athlete, Johnson became only the third Southern athlete to win an indoor NCAA Division I national title when he captured the long jump crown in 2003 with a best leap of 8.28m (27-2). After overcoming an injury that ended his collegiate career prematurely, Johnson went on to finish fourth in his return at the U.S. Indoor Championships in 2004, and he captured gold with a first-place finish the following year at the 2005 Indoor Championships. Johnson also won U.S. titles with his victories at both the 2006 Indoor and Outdoor Championships with jumps of 7.95m (26-1) and 8.10m (26-7), respectively. From 2004 to 2010, Johnson served as an assistant track and field coach at his alma mater, Southern, while competing as one of the world's best long jumpers. In 2008, he finished second at the Olympic Trails in Eugene, Oregon, which qualified him for the national team. He was a member of the 2008 United States Olympic Track and Field team that competed in Beijing, China. He went on to finish 22nd overall. Also, during that time, Johnson posted a personal best of 8.33m with his second-place performance at the Fort-de-France international meet and he also won a silver medal at the IAAF World Athletics Final.