Questions and Answers with "Moose"
What sparked your interest in Coastal?

Johnson selected as assistant director of athletics Chris Johnson has been named assistant director of athletics for development at Coastal. He had been Coastal’s director of annual giving and major gifts officer in the Office of University Advancement since 1998. In December 1999, Johnson was appointed football development officer in the Office of University Advancement where he assisted with gift solicitation for the university’s football development campaign. He also served as an assistant director of admissions at Coastal from 1997 to 1998. Johnson, a native of Danville, Ky., earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Eastern Kentucky University in 1993. Prior to joining Coastal, Johnson worked as an account manager with IKON Office Solutions and as a revenue field representative with the Kentucky Revenue Cabinet.

I knew Coastal had a successful athletic program and heard it was a good school with good people. That is what sparked my interest right away. I remember riding around campus with Dr. Ingle during my interview and I was amazed at all the construction and growth going on here. In talking to people on campus, I saw there was a positive atmosphere and the students came across as being happy to be here. I saw the dedication and commitment of the administration to bettering and improving the school. That was very evident. I view the athletic department much like any other academic unit on campus. We are all working toward the same ultimate goal and that is to have Coastal become a top-notch institution of higher learning. Athletics is a part of that and becomes another form of teaching.

As a newcomer, what are your thoughts on Coastal?
I am very excited about everything that is going on here. I plan to stay here for a long time. I really see this as the beginning stages of many good things here at Coastal. Every day is a new challenge. I feel great about the people I have met at Coastal and around the community. So much is happening here at the school, and not just in athletics. I am happy to be one of the players who is hopefully going to make a difference as a team player in getting the job done. That’s probably my football background speaking. But I believe that one player doesn’t get it done on the field by him or herself. That is true in every sport. You have to rely on your coaches and other teammates to help you. On a team, everyone has a job to do and that is the way an athletic department operates. We have a team here that is dedicated to putting out a great product that everybody at Coastal and the area will be proud of. That is what we are all in this for. A student’s college education should be a great experience. The ultimate goal here at Coastal is to give everybody the very best chance to have that experience.

What are some of your priorities as Director of Athletics?
Our student-athletes are here to get an education and graduate. Our priorities are on academics. I also want to make sure that we are doing everything we can do to help our student-athletes get involved in the community and be great role models. We also want to field teams that are very competitive in all sports. We want to make sure that the experience the student-athlete is going through at Coastal is a great one. I am in college athletics because I like being around students and all the things that are going on at college campuses. I have an open door policy and encourage the students to stop by and talk to me at any time. They are the heartbeat of the school and we need to know what they are thinking and feeling. We are dedicated to running a top-notch athletic program that has our student-athletes graduating and being active in the community. Coastal has an awful lot to offer any prospective student.

You’ve been around football all your life. What will the addition of football mean to Coastal?

Koegel with Buddy Sasser, chair of Coastal's Football Advisory Committee and former director of athletics.

I have been around a lot of good people involved with football and I have seen some great things happen with the game of football. Football can teach you so much about life and making good choices. It’s a game that really requires a lot of trust, not only for the players but for the coaches and for the fans as well. It’s going to bring people to our campus and the excitement level on Saturday will be extremely high. A campus on a football game day is a buzzing atmosphere. Always has been and always will be. There is a uniqueness to it. It brings the community, student-body, faculty and staff and puts them in an arena together. It will do this at Coastal. It gives us a chance to get our alumni back on campus and involved with their school. I know we can field a very competitive football team because this is a great place to recruit to. The facility we are going to build will be first-rate and everything associated with it will be first class. When recruits come on campus, they’ll see the strong commitment we have to football and all of our sports. It will be an exciting time and it will have a positive impact on the surrounding community.

What opportunities are available for supporting Coastal athletics?
The CINO (Coastal Is Number One) Club is our athletic booster organization that supports all of the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I intercollegiate programs at the university. It is very important that we have a strong base of people and supporters who are giving toward our athletic scholarships. With the help of the CINO Club, Coastal will continue to attract quality student-athletes to carry on the tradition of excellence that has already been established here. I am happy about the addition of Chris Johnson to our department. He will serve as assistant athletic director for development in all aspects of athletic fund-raising. He will work very closely with me and the CINO Club board to enhance the club’s growth and importance. Chris has worked in development for several years at the school and brings an awful lot of class and professionalism to the athletic department. With the success of our current programs and the addition of football, this is a very exciting time for Coastal athletics.

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