Johnnie Emmons

Johnnie Emmons earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a minor in mathematics at Northwestern State in 1951 and a master’s in P.E. at Louisiana Tech and completed Plus 30 at NSU.  He was an outstanding student-athlete at NSU.

Emmons’ began his career in 1952 in Spearsville where he was a math teacher and girls basketball coach.  He later coached baseball at Bernice and established a football team there.  He coached football at Ferriday, Homer and Lake Charles.  Joining the faculty at NSU, he taught health, physical education and driver’s education and coached football, baseball and men’s and women’s tennis, which he started. He was selected in 1973 as one of the first inductees into the N Club Hall of Fame and was honored in 2013 as one of NSU’s Athletic Legends. Emmons was selected as one of the school’s Top 100 Demon Football Players of the Century in 2007.  The baseball record he set in 1952 with a batting average of .458 still stands.  He also still shares the school record for most touchdown receptions in a game. In recognition of his emphasis on academics, the Athletic Academic Support Center is named in his honor.

Emmons and his wife Nelda have been married 67 years and have two children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.