A transmission system with a mind of its own wound up providing an unlikely introduction to the team atmosphere within the North Central College wrestling program for Adam Johnson ’08. He discovered a family away from home well before becoming one of the most decorated champions in the Cardinals’ history.
On a campus visit from his home state of Michigan during spring break his senior year of high school, Johnson experienced an automotive breakdown. This extended stay in Naperville gave him a vivid picture of what he could expect from his prospective teammates.
“I had a two-day visit planned, so I drove my car with a couple of other North Central wrestlers who were also from Michigan, one of whom was Bobby Gingerich ’07,” Johnson recalled. “My car’s transmission went out. My two-day visit lasted a couple extra days so they could fix it. On the way back, I get about 10 miles into Michigan and it breaks down again. I was set to spend the night in my car, and I got a random call to see if I got home. The next thing I know, a couple of guys from North Central drove all the way back to get me and drive me home. After that, I don’t know why I would have gone anywhere else.”
Despite competing for three different head coaches during his collegiate career, Johnson found he thrived in an environment that valued every member of its program as an integral part of the team.
“It was nice because all three head coaches brought something different,” he said. “I remember coach (Jim) Miller ’86 made it seem that, whether you were first-string or had never won a match, you were an important part of the team. One of my first practices, we all got in a circle and decided nicknames for the new people, myself included. Everyone was considered important within the program.”
Johnson began to find his stride on the mat as a sophomore, winning the first of three straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships at the 133-pound weight class before qualifying for his first NCAA Division III National Championship and placing seventh to earn All-America honors.
“I never really thought I was that good,” Johnson said. “The first year (at the national championships) I was very shell-shocked, but by my junior and senior year I had some pretty lofty goals.”
As a junior, Johnson repeated as CCIW champion and improved to a third-place showing at the national finals. His senior season saw him turn in an overall record of 49 wins and just three losses (establishing a still-standing school record for victories) and a third straight CCIW individual title. He received CCIW Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and led North Central to its fourth conference team championship before capping his career with another third-place finish at the national championships.
Johnson was the first three-time All-American in the Cardinals’ history and graduated as the program’s all-time leader in victories (143). He also earned National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-America honors three times and was selected the 2008 CCIW Man of the Year.
Now a teacher and coach in his own right, Johnson values the life lessons he gained through competition far more than his considerable list of accolades, impressing upon students and athletes the importance of applying those lessons in daily life.
“One thing I’ve always told guys I coach is that wrestling is just wrestling. It really doesn’t matter as much as you think it does. What does matter is what you get out of it, and how you transfer everything you learn to the rest of your life. That’s where it makes the difference.”
