Bio

Joey Johnson is in his ninth season as head coach of Reinhardt Men’s Soccer.

Under the direction of Coach Johnson, Eagle men’s soccer has developed into a nationally respected program. His emphasis on cultivating a team-driven culture combined with high professional standards and an intentional focus on the holistic development of the athlete has created a unique environment where student-athletes can thrive on the field, in the classroom and in the community.

In the nine seasons under Coach Johnson’s guidance, the Eagles have an overall record of 107-42-10 and a record of 69-16-8 within the nationally respected Appalachian Athletic Conference while maintaining a consistent presence in the national Top 25 rankings. Reinhardt has earned five AAC Championship titles during Johnson’s time with the program.

The 2022 season saw the Eagles overcome unprecedented adversity to challenge for an AAC championship, finishing with an 8-1-4 record in the AAC. The Eagles closed the season with ten straight matches without a loss and came within one goal of achieving an AAC regular season title among the fourteen conference programs.   

The 2021 season saw the Eagles start with a 10-0 record as the team rose to a national ranking of #19 in their quest for back to back AAC championships. The Eagles finished with a record of 13-4 (10-3 AAC) as they set a program record for most AAC wins in a season. This was the eighth consecutive season with double-digit wins for the Eagles.

In April of 2021, the Reinhardt University men’s soccer program completed a historic season winning both the AAC Regular Season championship (MU-T) and the AAC Tournament championship advancing to the NAIA national tournament. The Eagles finished with a 13-3 record and 11-1 in AAC play.

For the fall 2020 season, the Appalachian Athletic Conference outlined a conference only plan for regular season competition due to concerns regarding the global pandemic. The Eagles concluded the fall season with a 9-1 record in the AAC as they claimed the 2020 AAC regular season championship (MU-T). 

After claiming back-to-back AAC championships in 2017 and 2018, Reinhardt in 2019 narrowly missed a third straight AAC championship, finishing runner up among the 12 conference teams.

In 2018, the Reinhardt men’s soccer program finished with a record of 14-4-2, as it claimed its second-consecutive AAC championship and advanced to the NAIA National Championship tournament. The Eagles rose in the national rankings to 12^th in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll and 13^th in the MRPI polls, respectively.

The Reinhardt men’s soccer program made history in 2017 by capturing the AAC regular-season championship with an undefeated record of 8-0-1 in AAC play. This achievement was made even more impressive given the strength of the AAC, as the conference featured five programs in the Top 25 national rankings in 2017.
 
In Johnson’s first season with the Eagles in 2014, Reinhardt finished with a 15-3 record and earned a regular-season AAC championship for the first time in the program’s history. The Eagles shattered program records as they rose in the NAIA polls to as high as 14^th in the nation.

The combination of a creative attacking mentality with a disciplined approach to the game defensively has led to the Eagles success on the conference, regional and national levels.

In his time at Reinhardt, Johnson has coached 51 All-AAC selections (35 AAC First Team, 16 AAC Second Team).  Additionally, he has coached three NAIA All-Americans (HM), 13 NSCAA NAIA All-Region East selections, an AAC Freshman of the Year, an AAC Defensive Player of the Year, an AAC Offensive Player of the Year and two AAC Players of the Year – which are all program firsts.

Johnson has been named AAC Coach of the Year four times – 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018. He has also been selected as NSCAA NAIA East Region Coach of the Year and NAIA National Coach of the Year finalist on three occasions in 2012, 2013, and 2017.  

The men’s soccer program has earned national recognition for its academic success during Johnson’s tenure.  The Eagles have been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 nationally for seven of the last eight years for combined team GPA (No. 1 – 2016; No. 2 – 2021, 2020, 2018, 2017, 2015). Johnson has seen his student-athletes selected 101 times to the AAC All-Academic Team and 50 times as national Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete honorees.

Prior to Reinhardt, Johnson served for two seasons as the head coach at Bryan (Tenn.), where he saw his team rise as high as No. 15 in the NAIA national rankings. The Lions were crowned as AAC champions in 2013 and qualified for the NAIA National Championship.

Coach Johnson brings a wealth of experience to the Reinhardt program as a veteran coach and a former professional player. Johnson served on both the coaching staff of UNC-Wilmington (NCAA Division I) and with the Wilmington Hammerheads (USL Pro) under USL Hall of Fame coach, David Irving, for the 2011 campaign. 

In 2010, Johnson spent six months with Club Alianza Lima, the most historic professional club in the Peruvian First Division while living in Peru developing a vision for an indigenous coaching network among Amazonian tribal people.

From 2006 to 2009, Coach Johnson served as an associate head coach with the men’s program at Bryan. In that span of four seasons, the Lions compiled 47 wins, captured two AAC championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship for the first time in history.

Coach Johnson served as a player/assistant with the longest running professional club in Canada, London City FC, in 2006. He also was an assistant coach at Southern Wesleyan University (2001-04), Milligan (Tenn.) (1997-00), and Bryan (1996) for both the men’s and women’s programs, capturing six conference titles and advancing to one national championship final in 2003 with Southern Wesleyan.

Johnson has earned a United States Soccer Federation A license and a USC (formerly NSCAA) Premier Diploma.

As a collegiate player, Johnson had a successful playing career for Bryan (NAIA) and Liberty University (NCAA DI). After graduation from Liberty, Johnson was signed to a professional contract in South America with Aurora FC and began a pro career that would span a decade in the USA, Canada and South America.

Johnson won USL national championships twice as a professional in the USA (Charlotte Eagles in 2000; Wilmington Hammerheads in 2003). Johnson represented his pro clubs on five continents while experiencing the world’s beautiful cultures through the gift of friendship that the game of soccer so quickly provides.

Coach Johnson earned his B.S. in History from Liberty in 1996.

He and his wife, Suzanne, live in the area with their three sons.

Reinhardt Career Coaching Records 

2014: 15-3 (8-1) AAC Champions
2015: 10-7 (7-2)
2016: 11-6-1 (4-4-1)
2017: 11-4-2 (8-0-1) AAC Champions
2018: 14-4-2 (7-2-1) AAC Champions
2019: 11-6-1 (8-2-1)

2020: 13-3 (9-1) AAC Champions x2

2021: 13-4 (10-3) 

2022:  9-5-4 (8-1-4)

Total: 107-42-10  (69-16-8 AAC)