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Michael Johnson is in his first season with the Tiger coaching staff in 2009 and serves as the volunteer assistant coach, working primarily with infielders and hitters. He is also Clemson's first-base coach and wears the #31 jersey, the same number he wore in his playing days as an All-American in Tigertown.
Johnson lettered four times as a standout first-baseman at Clemson from 2000-03. His 58 career home runs (#3), .636 career slugging percentage (#5), and 213 career RBIs (#6) are all among the top figures in school history. Johnson was also a career .344 hitter with 275 hits, 52 doubles, a .465 on-base percentage, and 25 stolen bases in 235 games as a part of four NCAA Tournament teams and two College World Series squads (2000,02).
The two-time captain for the Tigers was a two-time recipient of the Bob Bradley Award as Clemson's MVP of the season series against South Carolina thanks in part by hitting 10 home runs in 16 career games against the rival Gamecocks. He also owned a .500 batting average with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 10 career ACC Tournament contests and totaled 2,131 putouts in his career, fifth-most in NCAA history, as one of the best defensive first-basemen in school history.
Johnson red-shirted in 1999 and played 44 games as a red-shirt freshman in 2000. As a sophomore in 2001, he hit .321 with 18 homers and 54 RBIs. During the second half of the season, he hit a long ball in five consecutive games, tying a school record. He was also named Clemson Regional MVP that year.
As a junior in 2002, he became part of one of the top trios in college baseball history. Johnson, National Player-of-the-Year Khalil Greene, and Jeff Baker all hit at least 25 home runs to lead the Tigers to a top-four finish at the College World Series, where he was named to the All-College World Series team. Johnson, a second-team All-American by ABCA, hit .384 with 25 homers and 81 RBIs.
Despite being drafted in the second round by the San Diego Padres in the summer of 2002, Johnson elected to return for his senior season in 2003. That year, he hit .338 with 12 homers, 51 RBIs, and a .498 on-base percentage thanks to 63 walks. He was a First-Team All-ACC selection for the second year in a row and received the Mitchell Award as Clemson's MVP.
The powerful lefthanded hitter later signed with the Padres in the summer of 2003 and played at every minor league level from 2003-07. He also had a brief stint in the Houston Astros' farm system in 2007. In his minor league career, Johnson totaled 90 doubles, 11 triples, 69 homers, and 264 RBIs in 391 games.
Johnson's best minor league campaign came during the 2005 season, when he batted .295 with 20 doubles, five triples, 21 home runs, and 76 RBIs in only 73 contests with the Lake Elsinore Storm (High A).
Johnson, who is serving in his first stint as a coach in 2009, graduated from Clemson with a degree in career & technology education in December of 2008.
Johnson is married to the former Carrie Breed of Hilton Head, SC. The Georgetown, SC native was born June 25, 1980 in Georgetown, SC.
The Johnson File
Full Name: William Michael Johnson, Jr.
Born: June 25, 1980 in Georgetown, SC.
Education: Bachelor of science degree in career & technology education at Clemson (2008).
Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at Clemson (2003).
Family: Wife, Carrie.
