‘I was so heartbroken’, Community grieves sudden death of beloved track and field coach

YORK, Neb. (KLKN) – The pole-vaulting strip at York High School is about to be transformed and is currently under construction.

However, if you ask the students and teachers at York High, they’d tell you that all they can see is the lasting impact left behind by beloved track and field coach, Randy Johnson.

Johnson was tragically killed in an ATV accident on Monday in York County. He was 70 years old.

                         SEE ALSO: York Track Coach died after ATV accident

Before his death, Johnson had been a coach for 46 years.

He began his career with York Public Schools as a teacher at the middle school in 1980.

Johnson later retired from teaching in 2011 to coach track and field full time, alongside current head coach Darrel Branz.

“He was very much a lot of tough love, but at the same time, every one of his athletes knew that he truly cared about them,” said Branz.

Johnson was a pole vaulter himself, which helped his impact reach many.

In his career, he helped produce 38 individual state qualifiers, 32 medalists and four championships.

Johnson also took part in community events and summer camps.

“He did a lot of things for a lot of athletes throughout the state. It didn’t matter if it was track and field. It could be hunting. It could be fishing. It could be traveling. He seemed to know it all or had experiences with so many things,” said Branz.

A sentiment that pole vaulter Carlye Philipp could attest to.

“We’d have Randy with us, and he’d stand right here so we’d always see him before we went up,” she said, while standing by the pole vault strip.

She was on the team for six years, first starting in middle school and then continuing until her high school graduation this year.

“I was so heartbroken,” said Philipp, reflecting on the moment she learned of Johnson’s death.

She said he was a role model in every way and shared with Channel 8 how his words came to life for her at a track meet, when she thought her leg was broken.

“He’s like, ‘I need you to know you don’t have to continue. I’m so proud of you. You don’t need to keep going.’ And I looked at him, and I was like, ‘I’m going to jump one more time’ because I only had one attempt left, and I just gave it everything I had left,” said Philipp.

“And I ended up making the bar to be able to go to state.”

This is one of many memories that Carlye and so many others say they will cherish forever.