| Coach Rob Johnson Recovering from Bypass Surgery |
| by Ashley Stephen '07
09/28/06 |
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"Johnson, Robert H., Tell me something good."
Anyone who has ever called cross country and track coach Rob Johnson, chances are they know the greeting.
However, as the students returned to campus there was something bad that Johnson had to tell his teams – he was going to be taking a leave-of-absence for medical reasons.
A fixture on campus for nearly three decades, Johnson has been a mentor, a coach, and a friend to hundreds of Wabash men. However, this fall Johnson has been on medical leave in order to have a triple-bypass heart surgery.
Johnson went to see his cardiologist in August for his semi-annual checkup. He was told that his heart was strong but that there were certain spots where blood was not reaching, including an area around two stents put in during a surgery in 2001. Johnson was told he would need a triple bypass in order to correct the blood-flow problems.
Johnson requested the surgery take place once cross country season had ended. However, his doctor would hear none of it, scheduling the surgery for early September after his return from vacation.
"He said I was like a ticking time bomb walking around," Johnson said of the doctor’s reasoning behind the earlier surgery.
"When Coach Johnson came and surprised me with this, as he surprised everyone, I knew it was something we had to take care of immediately," Director of Athletics Vernon Mummert said. "I told him to do whatever he had to do, to take as long as he needs to rehabilitate."
"The important thing was for him to get medical help. I was very concerned."
For the members of the cross country team the announcement of Coach Johnson’s surgery was an unpleasant surprise.
"I was a little shocked when I heard that Coach Johnson was going in for surgery partly because up to that point he hadn't led on like anything was wrong," Dennis Frazee ‘07 said.
While it was not after cross country season as Coach Johnson had hoped, the September surgery date allowed Johnson to participate in the annual alumni meet. "I got to see a lot of good friends," Coach Johnson said. "It was like a reunion."
Johnson went into surgery Sept. 12 for a triple bypass but during the surgery the doctors decided that he needed a quadruple bypass. In surgery for five hours, Johnson suffered some nerve damage in his left hand as it was pinned to the operating table throughout the surgery.
"All the years, and all the doctors I’ve coached over the years, I just appreciate the modern-day technology and all the things they can do to bypass weaknesses in the heart and the arteries," Johnson said. "So I feel blessed and very fortunate to be alive."
Even as he was going through the process of surgery, Johnson continued to be the warm, open person he is, talking to anyone and everyone.
"I was pleased with my surgeon. He was a little wrestler from Wesleyan College in Connecticut," Johnson said. "I drilled all the surgeons and everybody that worked on me to see if they had a Wabash connection and I found a few."
Johnson was told his heart problems were a combination of lifestyle, genetics, and bad luck. Johnson knows that he’ll have to change his lifestyle, which means eating fewer chocolate chip cookies and potato chips. He is currently taking a Purdue Extension course on how to cook like a diabetic, since part of the problem stemmed from his blood-sugar levels.
Mummert and Dean Bambrey knew they were going to need an interim coach and turned to Roger Busch ’96, a former All-American who returned to campus last year to take the position of Assistant Director of Annual Giving.
"Interim coach Roger Busch is doing an outstanding job with the team, as I knew he would from the work he did with track last year," Mummert said. "He’s a great recruiter and a Wabash man through and through."
"He wants to be doing it, and he’s doing a great job," Mummert said.
Johnson misses the cross country team, he likewise knows the program is in capable hands. "I felt very fortunate to have Roger Busch step in and take over the cross country team," Johnson said. "I hope the kids appreciate his concern and passion for the sport."
"I was a little nervous … but luckily Coach Busch was able to step in and do a nice job of trying to fill the mighty big shoes that Coach Johnson left," Dennis Frazee said.
At home recovering, Johnson is eager to get back to the sports and the athletes he has long been associated with. However, his return to coaching is at least a couple of months away.
"I have to lay low for another month," Johnson said. "Right now my regimen is rest and walking and eating right."
Johnson is currently walking for ten minutes at a time in the alley near his house. He admitted that he would like to walk over to campus but he is not sure whether he could handle it.
"I’m just happy to be alive," Johnson said. "I’m looking forward to walking over to the College."
Johnson wanted to especially thank Dean Bambrey, Professor Peter Frederick and his wife, and assistant track coach Horace Turner who have all been very helpful during his recovery.
"There have been a number of people who have come to see me and I can’t mention them all," Johnson said. "I appreciate all the cards and flowers."
The members of the cross country and track programs are anticipating Coach Johnson’s return to his daily coaching duties. However, they understand Johnson still requires quite a bit of time to recuperate.
Dennis Frazee may have put it best when borrowing a few sayings from Coach Johnson. "I know that he will be back soon because ‘everyday he is getting better and better,’ and ‘he's a Wabash man and he knows he can!’" Frazee said.
While it may be several weeks until Coach Johnson returns to campus, there is no doubt he will, because, after nearly three decades at the College,