Leo Johnson has been called "Mr. Wresting." He's a legend in his own time. Without a doubt, Johnson, a 1960 Cortland graduate, has few, if any, peers among high school wrestling coaching in the entire United States. As wrestling coach at East Syracuse High School between 1960 and 1964 and head coach at Baldwinsville High School from 1964 to the present, Johnson's teams have compiled a phenomenal 255-36-5 record, and 87.6 percent winning average. His Baldwinsville wrestling team has become the most awesome force on the high school mats by earning the New York State dual meet championship in 1978, 1979 and 1981. The squad had two losses against some 130 victories.
In 1980, the National High School Coaches Association selected Johnson as the National Coach of the Year in wrestling. The honor culminates years of post-season plaudits that Johnson has been awarded. The list is seemingly endless: Northeastern N.H.S.A.C.A. Coach of the Year; New York State Coaches Honor Award; Scholastic "Man of the Year" in Upstate New York; a member of the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame; President of New York State Wrestling Coaches Association; National Regional Coach of the Year - N.H.S.A.C.A.; New York State Coach of the Year; New York Team Coach vs. Teams from Missouri, Florida, New Mexico, Vermont, as well as Norway and Poland; and NCAA College Division Championship official.
In addition, Johnson has been a guest lecturer at coaching clinics in the Virgin Islands, Oregon, Iowa, Michigan, Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Oklahoma, Minnesota and New York. The SUNY Cortland graduate belongs to the National High School Athletic Coaches Association, the New York State Wrestling Coaches Association, the Scholastic Wrestling News and the Syracuse Wrestling Officials Association.
He was a member of the United States Olympic Committee in 1974, was director of the Medalist Sports Industries National Coaches Clinic between 1976 and 1980, and was appointed National Hall of Fame Liaison for the N.H.S.A.C.A. in 1979. Johnson was chairman of the Onondaga High School League between 1969 and 1972.
An opposing athletic director once said of Johnson, "I've never seen any coach, at any level, who's more gifted in the area of sports psychology. Leo is second to none when it comes to preparing kids mentally to take part in an important sports contest. Under pressure, his teams are simply awesome." Johnson attributes much of that motivation to his SUNY Cortland wrestling coach David Miller. "He always seemed to get the best out of people," remarked Johnson. "We had a good crop, a very successful group of guys."
