Kornacki: Johnson Shines Saturday in Front of Cheer Coach Mother
11/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football, Features
• Watch: Drake Johnson Profile
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Pam St. John has been the head coach of the Michigan cheer team for 31 years and was among the first group of women to cheer for the Wolverines in 1974.
She began chanting "Let's go Blue!" when All-American Rob Lytle was the tailback and was the cheer squad's coach when Jamie Morris, Tyrone Wheatley, Anthony Thomas and Mike Hart were Wolverine tailbacks rushing for 4,000 yards or more during their careers.
St. John's youngest child, Drake Johnson, had told her since elementary school that he was going to be just like those running backs, even better. And when he rushed for 2,805 yards and 37 touchdowns as a senior at Ann Arbor Pioneer High, long-time Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson called to offer him a scholarship.
Johnson was going to get his chance. But an ACL injury in the 2013 opener with Central Michigan meant rehabilitation and patience. And entering this season as a redshirt sophomore, Johnson was no better than third-string.
But he got the opportunity he'd always dreamed of Saturday (Nov. 1), carrying 16 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-14 win over Indiana. And his mother was overcome with emotion after his scoring runs of 10 and 16 yards.
"I was at the northwest corner of the stadium when he scored the first touchdown," St. John said. "So, the first one was on the other side of the field from me, and the second one was right in front of me.
"I cried at the first one because I knew it was a dream come true for him. He's been talking about playing football since he was a little kid. When he talked about talking smack to the players here as a little kid, he really did. A couple times, I grabbed him by the collar and said, 'Would you get back here and be quiet!' But he would say, 'I'm going to do this, and that's going to be me!'
"And now, he really did do that. I'm so lucky to be in the right place at the right time."
Mother and son embraced on the field after the game.
"It was great," said Johnson. "I'd just walked off the field after an interview with Lisa Byington of The Big Ten Network, and I turned around and saw my mom. It was like, 'Oh, my God, my mom's here!' I figured she'd be out the tunnel already, but it was a picture moment. And someone got the picture.
"My mom said, 'I'm so proud of you, and I'm so glad this day finally came for you.' And I said, 'Thanks, Mom, it isn't always easy having me as a son.' I would push the envelope and the boundaries as much as I could, but I didn't do stupid stuff. And I always did well in school."
He's a motivated environmental studies major at Michigan and attended Ann Arbor's Community High, which features an innovative learning approach with self-initiated programs in an open-campus setting. The school doesn't offer athletic programs, and so he played football and was a state champion hurdler at Pioneer, which was a short walk from his home.
Johnson would like to make an "impact" where renewable energy is concerned. But there were those moments when Drake was growing up when Mom had to pull him in by the collar after he would say something bold -- like telling the Michigan running backs he would be better than them -- or come home late from playing video games with his best friend.
"I love my mom tons," Johnson said. "Sometimes, I'm not sure where I'd be without her support. She always tells me, 'Drake, it will work out in the end.' Both of my parents are like that. My dad (Michael Johnson) told me, 'Work hard because one day they are going to give you the chance. And you don't want to blow it when it happens.'
"My dad might be the main reason I'm playing college football. He's always coached me in football and track, which he played in high school in Jackson. He wasn't on the staff at Pioneer, but I ran the national circuit in track, and he was my coach for that. And in football, he would tell me what to work on. He's the main driving force in my athletic career."
His father also attended Michigan and is a coach and writer. Drake said both of his parents had a strong influence on him academically.
Mom, Dad and his older siblings -- Sarah, 32; Steven, 30; and Carter, 22 -- also attended the Indiana game and shared a special time together outside Michigan Stadium after Drake showered and completed media interviews. Drake said Carter, who ran on the Eastern Michigan track team, inspires him to work harder, and they are a close family.
Of all those great Michigan running backs that Johnson wanted to be better than, Hart, the school's career rushing leader with 5,040 yards, 2004-07, was his favorite. When his No. 20 became available in 2013, Johnson requested it instead of the No. 29 he wore as a true freshman.
Johnson met Hart during a high school awards banquet, and Johnson said he was so nervous at first that he stammered.
"Mike Hart asked me, 'So, are you going to be the next big back at Michigan?' At the time, I was thinking, 'Yeah, I hope so.' But I ended up saying, 'YEAH!' And he told me, 'That's the confidence you need to have.' And so I was like, 'All right. I'll try to do that throughout my career.' "
I asked Johnson what other universities he considered, and he chuckled.
"I didn't have many options," he said. "It was either here or Eastern Michigan. And the second that Coach J. (Fred Jackson) offered, I accepted."
Three years after making that commitment, Johnson had the breakout game.
"I just love to watch him run because it makes him so happy," St. John said. "I want him to be a part of this whole wonderful Michigan experience and have a good time."
St. John, whose cheer teams claimed the national championship in 2013 and 2014 in the coed intermediate division at the National Cheerleaders Association competition, got to hear them cheer loudly for her son on Saturday.
"It all came together for me," she said. "I don't think the cheers were for Drake -- they were for Michigan. But it's special that now he's a contributing part of that Michigan thing.
"I just kept saying, 'Be patient and be prepared. Your time will come.'"
His opportunity for more practice reps came when starter Derrick Green was lost for the season with a broken collarbone suffered at Rutgers. But De'Veon Smith and Justice Hayes got more carries in the games with Green out. That changed Saturday, when Johnson became the hot back. Now it's about the "compete and challenge" carrot that Wolverine head coach Brady Hoke dangles for playing time. It's about competing for the job heading into Saturday's game at Northwestern, and that's something that comes naturally to Johnson.
"He's competitive about everything," said St. John. "When he was in kindergarten at Eberwhite (Elementary School), I got a call. They said, 'You've got to come get Drake. They were playing kick ball, and Drake slid into first base and broke his teeth.' "
She laughed and added, "If there's a way to compete for something -- and you wouldn't necessarily know that because he's a laid-back guy -- but he's wired that way inside to compete hard. He was born that way."
