Charlotte, NC - Deciding to be a part of the two-year collegiate athletics experience is different for all. There are many routes to take and for some junior college might not be the first choice, but it creates opportunities that otherwise would not exist. Whether being a part of a team as a player or as a coach, the NJCAA provides an opportunity for countless individuals to follow their athletic dreams. David and Meade Johnson are prime examples of the opportunities presented through two-year collegiate athletics and their success tells the story of how the NJCAA has allowed them a better and brighter future.
David and Meade Johnson are a father-son duo who have both found great success at the two-year level, each winning an NJCAA Division II National Championship. David Johnson has been the head women's basketball coach at NJCAA member Lake Land College (IL) for more than two decades. Coach Johnson first entered the realm of two-year collegiate athletics as a student-athlete when he attended Danville Area Community College (IL). Making his way to coaching, Johnson led the Lakers' women's basketball program to claim the NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship title in 2021. Coach Johnson has seen the importance of two-year collegiate athletics and the many opportunities it can offer. "I think the NJCAA is a great opportunity for a lot of kids in high school who maybe have gotten overlooked athletically," Coach Johnson said. "It gives them another chance to compete as well as continue to progress in their sport." Coach Johnson has watched firsthand as many of his student-athletes have moved on to the four-year level, but nothing makes him prouder than seeing his son's success. Coach Johnson stated, "Meade's grown up living in BIG 10 conference territory, so playing big-time college baseball has always been his dream so it's really neat to see him fulfilling that dream."
Meade Johnson, a recent graduate of NJCAA member Heartland Community College (IL), was a part of the Hawks' baseball team for the past two seasons. As the starting pitcher, Meade recently led Heartland to claim the 2023 NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series title. Growing up, junior college was all Meade knew. He watched his father flourish at the two-year level and figured that once he was old enough, he would follow in his footsteps. Coming out of high school, Meade was not a highly sought-after prospect so for him the choice was apparent. Deciding to attend Heartland was Meade's first step in following his dreams of playing collegiate baseball. "Being kind of a late bloomer athletically, the NJCAA gave me a place to grow and develop and now I'm able to move on in my career and achieve my goals which probably wouldn't have been possible if I wasn't able to go to a junior college," stated Meade Johnson.
What's so special about these two individuals is that the NJCAA gave them both the opportunity to thrive and flourish in an environment that was created to help them. Not only that, but they are also able to share a special bond like no other; the feeling of being national champions. Meade attested to the fact that taking after his father and winning a national championship was always on his mind stating, "Living with him you always know that he has a national championship. It was definitely in the back of my mind whenever I went to Heartland. I knew I needed to get one to even the playing field a little bit."
The NJCAA is more than just an organization, it's an opportunity to better your future and Coach Johnson hopes that through his coaching he's doing just that for his student athletes. "I think the junior college level really helps students grow in their maturity. That's one of the big things I hope our program at Lake Land has done," stated Coach Johnson. "Guide student-athletes into adulthood by using hard work and dedication. Those are all things that I hope our kids have picked up as they've gone through Lake Land. We're hoping to guide them into their next step of life."
Meade will be continuing his academic and athletic career at the University of Maryland this fall and Coach Johnson will continue to instill hard work and dedication into his student-athletes throughout their two-year college journey.