Kenny Earl Johnson Sr. has been married to Christina R. Johnson for almost 24 years. He and his wife have three boys, Kenny Earl Johnson Jr. (20), Donald Luke Johnson (15) who we fostered from birth for two years before adopting him at two years old, and Jonathon Boldes (21) who we raised from 6 years old. A 1987 Carroll High School graduate, Kenny received a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M University and remained there until transferring to Northeast Louisiana University (ULM) in 1990. He received a Bachelor’s in Business Management (1993) from Northeast Louisiana University (ULM), and earned his second Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Education’s in 2005 and a Master’s Degree in Religious Education in 2012. Both Religious Education degrees were earned from the United Theological Seminary Bible College.
Being a role model is very important to Mr. Johnson because it gives him the opportunity to help young boys become men. He has coached all three of his sons in basketball and football for years from elementary school to junior high, and also coached numerous other teams. With the belief that education is very important, Kenny always tells his boys and the kids he coaches that they have got to “hit the books” letting them know they can reach their goals. The bar is always set high for the kids because he believes they can reach that bar with the right guidance. He makes sure the kids know it is about more than just winning, and they can have fun and learn life lessons along the way. Mr. Johnson makes sure he is a positive influence in the lives of many kids who may not have a strong male influence or role model in their lives. Some of the kids involved in our programs do not have that positive influence or father figure. Kenny’s goal as a coach is to be able to be both a father figure and role model for any child that may need it. He serves as a coach for the YMCA of Northeast Louisiana, at Carroll Junior High School, and the local Special Olympics. He also serves as a Deacon at St. Paul Baptist Church and works as Home Manager with GB Cooley.
Mr. Johnson began Coaching YMCA football and basketball in 2006 to present. He also has been coaching football at Carroll Jr. High football since 2012; basketball (boys and girls) from 2012 to 2017; and softball in 2016. He has had a lot of success coaching which lets the kids know that hard work pays off. In 2009 his team won their first YMCA football championship with his sons Kenny Jr. and Jonathon as players. His YMCA Basketball (co-ed) team won the championship in 2012, 2014 and 2015, all with my youngest son Donald as a player. His Y team also won the championship in 2018. In 2012, he received the YMCA “Father of the Year” award which made the New Star front page. While coaching at the Jr. High, success has continued to follow. For the past two years, the 7th and 8th grade football teams have been undefeated. He has been a volunteer coach for Special Olympic since 2004, and served as Area Director for Special Olympic from 2007 to 2009 which includes 9 Parishes (Ouachita, Caldwell, East Carroll, West Carroll, Madison, Morehouse, Richland, Tensas, and Jackson). Currently he is the Sport Area Director for Special Olympic. Sports include Basketball, Unified Basketball (Baton Rouge) State Champion 2013-2015, Bowling, Unified Bowling, Golf, Cycling, Track and Field State Champion 4×100 Male Relay (Hammond, LA 2004-2014), Volleyball, Unified Volleyball, Flag Football, Bocce, and Softball. He is currently in the process of starting a Boy Scout Troop at his church.
Kenny Johnson enjoys giving back, which is why he spends so much time volunteering with children. This is rewarding, and he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. It’s about letting the kids know that someone cares about them. He’s not just a coach, he also tries to be a support person for them.