Thursday, July 22, 2010

Report: Johnson died of a heart attack

FROM KEITH GROLLER

News of the death of former Pottsville and Northampton football coach Terry "Teko" Johnson has made the rounds in Salt Lake City, his hometown where he has coached the last several seasons.

Officials are now calling cause of death a heart attack, stunning for a man who was only 41. His wife found him in their Atlantic City hotel room.

And players and officials in Utah are coming to grips with losing a coach they were just getting to know. Johnson had just taken over at Cottonwood High this spring, and just as he did at Northampton, he made an immediate impact with the program and seemed to stir enthusiasm and pride within the program.

In his time here in the Lehigh Valley, there were lots of things said about Teko. Frankly, not all were good and it was difficult to determine what was true and what wasn't.

However, as a football coach, no one ever doubted his ability as a motivator, and he was quite popular with his players and the coaching fraternity. And speaking from a reporter's perspective, he was a good guy to deal with.

Here's a well-done TV news report from Salt Lake City's Fox affiliate:

http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-cottonwood-high-football-coach-dies-in-atlantic-city,0,7865671.story

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

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