Glenn Johnson

“Bryan, it’s Glenn Johnson.”

I had to smile as I heard that unmistakable “Voice of the Cougs” on the other end of my phone, calling to coordinate the next stop on the reconnect roadshow.

In addition to being the iconic public address announcer at Washington State University home football games, Glenn was a professor of broadcast journalism in the Washington State University - Edward R. Murrow College of Communication for 33 years, is currently the fifth-term Mayor of Pullman, and holds several trustee and board positions at the state level.

The man is a living legend, particularly for those of us lucky enough to study under him. Glenn taught me how to write for television and instilled a lifelong belief that journalists should keep their opinions out of the story (a rare thing these days). He has mentored many accomplished broadcasters over the decades including Kathy Goertzen, Eric Johnson, Kathy Brock, Keith Shipman, Cindy Brunson, and many more.

Glenn couldn’t have been more generous after not seeing me for 30+ years, offering to give me a tour of the posh new press box tower, which features a banquet room, club lounge, club seating, loge boxes, suites, and a new press box. Walking around the facility with Glenn is like hanging out with WSU royalty. Everybody knows him and says hi. After the tour, we sat and chatted in the club lounge as the staff vacuumed the post-game carpets.

From a man full of life wisdom, here are a few nuggets:

1) Average doesn’t cut it: Over three decades, Glenn saw broadcast technology evolve from 16mm film to digital video. But the skills that separated the best students remained constant; good writing, good news judgement, good sources, and making the extra effort. “Broadcasting has no place for average,” he says.

2) Turn something bad into something good: Glenn’s Daughter Karen, a cardiac rehabilitation nurse, and her husband Jeff were killed in an auto accident in 1996. After going through unspeakable grief, Glenn and his family did something positive with the experience by establishing the Karen Johnson-Doke Memorial Scholarship, which helps two recipients each year attend the WSU College of Nursing.

3) Leverage your transferable skills: There are so many examples of Glenn doing this, as he moved from journalism to teaching to politics. But here’s a fun one: To accomplish his iconic “TOUCHDOWWWWWWWWWWN COUGS!” announcement after every Cougar touchdown, Glenn uses diaphragmatic breathing and his experience as a choir singer to hold the “DOWN” part of the call for over 20 seconds. It’s amazing.

I thanked Glenn for his time and for being an inspiration to me and so many others over the years. His spirit, integrity, knowledge, and career accomplishments are second to none. Thank you Glenn.

#communications #broadcasting #wisdom #inspiration #thankyou