Craig Johnston
Craig Johnston was the head football coach at Carmel High School in Carmel, California for 18 years, acquiring numerous county and league Coach of the Year honors while sending many players to the college ranks. Johnston’s no-huddle system was the first of its kind in a highly competitive football area and has stood the test of time. In the last five years, Carmel has been one of the highest scoring teams in the state of California, averaging over 50 points per game and 5,000 yards of offense per year. In 1998, Johnston was offensive coordinator at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, California. His spread no-huddle attack was the key to an instant turnaround, which resulted in a conference championship and bowl game appearance.
Johnston’s coaching career started early when, in 1979, he became a “player” quarterback coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo while redshirting and recovering from knee surgery between his junior and senior year of eligibility. From 1981 to 1983, Johnston joined his college head coach Joe Harper and high school head coach Marijon Ancich at Northern Arizona University, where he coached quarterback Scott Lindquist, who was signed by the Los Angeles Raiders, and wide receiver Pete Mandley, the nation’s Division I-AA total offense leader, drafted by the Detroit Lions. From NAU, Johnston returned to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to coach quarterbacks with head coach Jim Sanderson from 1983 to 1984. He coached quarterback Tim Snodgrass, who broke his single-season passing record.
