Johnson was nick-named "Jimmy Jumpup" because he never stayed on the floor for a long time in football practice or games, said his determination was boundless. Johnson is one of only two coaches to win both a college football national championships and one Super Bowl.
Johnson started as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech University in 1965 and Picayune Memorial High School in Picayune, Mississippi in 1966. His coach in five seasons at Oklahoma State University 1979-1983 before taking the head coaching job at the University of Miami.
