In 1973, Marc Johnson’s first year as a head baseball coach in Colorado, Cherry Creek was one of the smallest big schools in the state, on the very outskirts of Denver with no established championship pedigree.
Fast-forward 49 years, and as urbanized Cherry Creek is now Colorado’s athletic behemoth, Johnson has remained the constant — a pillar of excellence in Greenwood Village. The 76-year-old enters the 2021 season one victory shy of tying the CHSAA all-time wins mark of 807 set by Eaton’s Jim Danley.
On the precipice of history, Johnson credits his longevity, success and status as a Colorado baseball icon to the groundwork he laid in his early years on the job, long before the Bruins won a big school-record eight state titles.
“Back in the early ’70s, we knew there were good athletes at Cherry Creek but that we had to get them involved with baseball at a younger age — camps for little kids, feeder teams, all that,” Johnson said. “Once we started to create the snowball of success, it was the tradition that carried us. It was the expectations of this program… and the players’ desire to uphold those expectations.”
Johnson began his baseball coaching career as a player/manager on the 2nd Armored Division team in Fort Hood, Texas, in 1969. He played second base and managed the team to a league championship on the base, plus a notable win over the University of Texas.
“With his leadership and the way he commanded, guys bought in, because he knew what he was doing even though he was about the same age as us,” said Ernie Vierra, a catcher on Johnson’s first team. “He got us together, kept us organized. You could see the passion to manage and mentor young men was really there.”
Upon his arrival at Cherry Creek, Johnson transformed the program into “a place in the city where Bruins play old, country hardball,” as one team T-shirt from the early ’70s proclaimed. Cherry Creek went 4-14 in Johnson’s first year but hasn’t had a losing record since. Johnson’s emphasis on fundamentals underscores the steadiness of the program.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver PostCherry Creek head coach Marc Johnson warms up his team during practice on Thursday, April 29, 2021.Related Articles
CHSAA to pursue expanded schedules for all “Season D” spring sports Colorado prep baseball coaches expecting 18-game schedule get 16 games instead due to concerns over equity with other spring sports, Title IXThe Bruins won their first title in 1983 in Class 3A, and from there, the program began to accumulate momentum as the coach’s reputation as a nationally acclaimed tactician and talent developer grew.
“Going back to the mid-to-late ’80s, his vision was not for just for Cherry Creek, but for the whole state of Colorado,” explained Greg Sherman, who played for Johnson from 1985 to ’88.
“He had a clear vision for the sport and raising the bar for it in this state, and that included Cherry Creek competing on a nationwide basis. He pushed the envelope in terms of getting the best athletes in the program and he was taking us out of state at a time when that really wasn’t the norm.”
By the time the 1990s rolled around, Johnson had set the Bruins up for dominance.
And dominate they did, winning the 1992 Class 6A title before reeling off five consecutive Class 5A championships from 1995-99. The first two teams of that five-peat performance, in 1995 and ’96, were two of the best Colorado squads ever assembled. And Johnson topped off that era by being named Baseball America’s National Coach of the Decade.
While the victories and accolades mounted for Johnson, who also coached at the international level and was a longtime professional scout, Cherry Creek cemented itself as the state’s preeminent pipeline for Division I and major league talent. In all, Johnson’s program has produced over 415 collegians and over 80 draft picks, six of whom were selected in the first round, as well as eight big-leaguers.
But according to former Bruin and retired major league all-star Brad Lidge, Johnson “is not into the wins and losses as much as people might think.”
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver PostCherry Creek head coach Marc Johnson, not pictured, speaks as his players listen on Thursday, April 29, 2021.“As a youth coach now myself, I’m realizing how much energy, time, dedication and focus you have to have to just get through one season, let alone spring, summer and fall and for as many years as Marc has done it,” Lidge said. “I’m completely in awe of that dedication, the life he’s dedicated to baseball and how many people he’s impacted over the years as a coach alone.”
Arizona State freshman first baseman Jack Moss, who recently starred at Cherry Creek, echoed Lidge’s sentiment, enshrined in one of Johnson’s favorite quotes: “Winning is a byproduct.”
“He developed me as a man equally as much, if not more, than as a baseball player,” Moss said. “When guys come back to Cherry Creek High School, and they’ve had really successful careers in baseball or whatever else, there’s always gratitude and attribution toward ‘Coach J’ because he teaches you how to be a man.”
Danley called Johnson’s imminent 807th and 808th victories — which could come in the opener May 6 at Mullen, and then May 8 at Tom McCollum Field against the Mustangs — “a stunning record.”
“I’m happy for him,” said Danley, Johnson’s college classmate at Northern Colorado. “Records are made to be broken, as the old saying goes, and it’s cool because we took different paths. He was the metropolitan, city guy, and I took the small town route. And what he’s done with his program, and Cherry Creek’s ability to stay consistently elite, is nothing short of incredible.”
Marc Johnson Bio Box
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver PostHead coach Marc Johnson of the Cherry Creek Bruins hugs his granddaughter Cami Moyer after winning his 700th career game as the Bruins visited Overland Trailblazers on April 8, 2014.Age: 76
Born: Norfolk, Neb.
Career record: 806-204 (79.8%)
State titles: 8 (most recent 2012), 6 runner-ups
Centennial League titles: 32
His best teams: 1995, 1996
His best players: LHP Bill Wilkinson (’83), OF Darnell McDonald (’97)
Beyond baseball: Johnson won five state titles in 28 years as the Bruins’ boys soccer coach from 1971-99.
Path not chosen: Johnson was a high school quarterback who thought his coaching future was in football.
Well said: Bruins junior pitcher Cody Treblehorn: “He’s seen everything in baseball, so he knows everything.”
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