Allen Johnson - Assistant Coach - Track Coaches - NC State University Athletics

Allen Johnson

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
akjohns6@ncsu.edu
Phone:
919-515-3455

Allen Johnson enters his third year with the Wolfpack after being hired as an Assistant Track & Field Coach in the fall of 2016. A three-time Olympian and 1996 110m hurdles Olympic gold medalist, Johnson coaches the men's and women's sprints, hurdles and relays for NC State.

In his first season with the Wolfpack, Johnson’s sprint group elevated itself to new heights as NC State broke four all-time program records, earned ACC titles in three events, and had seven athletes named all-conference performers. Sophomore Gabriele Cunningham broke three school records (Indoor 60m, Outdoor 100m & 200m), while freshman Cravont Charleston earned ACC Outdoor MVP and Rookie of the Year honors after claiming three gold medals at the conference meet.

In 2018, Johnson coached the men's 4x100m relay team to its third-straight ACC title. The relay team as well as three of Johnson's sprinters qualified for the NCAA East Regional.

The Washington, D.C., native joined NC State from the University of Kentucky where he spent two seasons coaching the Wildcats' sprinters, hurdlers, horizontal jumpers and relays.

"I'm more impressed with Allen Johnson the man, equal to his accomplishments," said NC State Track & Field Head Coach Rollie Geiger following Johnson’s hire. "He is just a solid individual and is going to be a solid asset to the program both on the track and off. Obviously his athletic credentials are incredible, but I'm really impressed with Allen as a person. He will have a real, positive influence on not just our sprint and hurdles group, but our whole team."

Johnson was part of a Kentucky staff that totaled five top-25 finishes between indoor and outdoor track and field during his two years with the Wildcats – including a national runner up finish from the women's team during the 2015 outdoor season.

Individually, he helped guide Nick Anderson to a second-place finish in the 110m hurdles at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Anderson logged a 13.60 PR in the event and went on to compete at the USATF Olympic Team Trials.

Before Kentucky, Johnson coached at Air Force, where he guided the men's 4x400m relay team to Mountain West titles during both the indoor and outdoor championship meets. Highlighting the Falcons' sweep was a then-record-setting performance to clinch the program's first-ever indoor team title.

In addition to his Olympic gold, Johnson earned gold medals in the hurdles at seven IAAF World Championship meets. He finished first in the 110-meter hurdles at the outdoor world championships in 1995 (Gothenburg), 1997 (Athens), 2001 (Edmonton) and 2003 (Paris), while placing first in the 60m hurdles at the indoor world championships in 1995 (Barcelona), 2003 (Birmingham) and 2004 (Budapest).

In addition, Johnson finished second in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2008 indoor championships in Valencia, Spain, third at the 110m hurdles at the 2005 championships in Helinski, Finland and fourth in the 110m hurdles at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Johnson, who was ranked as the top 110m hurdler in the world for four years by Track & Field News, spent 14 consecutive years listed among the world's top 10, including 12 years ranked within the top five, while finishing a record 11 races in less than 13 seconds.

A native of Washington D.C., Johnson was the 1997 recipient of the prestigious Jesse Owens Award, which is the highest accolade given out by USA Track and Field (USATF). He also earned the USATF/Visa Humanitarian Award in 1999, after leading a successful fundraiser for a new track surface at his former high school.

As a collegiate athlete at the University of North Carolina, Johnson won the 1992 NCAA championship in the 55m hurdles with a meet-record time of 7.07. He was the national runner-up in the 55m hurdles (indoor) and 110m hurdles (outdoor) as a senior, while setting an ACC record in the long jump. Johnson, who still holds school records at North Carolina in the indoor long jump, outdoor long jump and 110m hurdles, also won four ACC titles, including three in the long jump (two indoor, one outdoor) and one in the 110m hurdles.

Prior to joining the Wolfpack from Kenucky, Johnson served as an assistant coach with Air Force and as a volunteer coach at South Carolina under his former coach Curtis Frye.