Staff Report
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Former Oneonta High football coach Teko Johnson died Wednesday in Atlantic City, N.J.
Johnson, 41, was on vacation with his wife and two daughters, according to a report in the Salt Lake Tribune. According to a report by WMFV, a TV station in Allentown, Pa., Johnson died of a heart attack.
"He was a very likable, colorful guy," OHS athletic director Joe Hughes said of Johnson, who led the Yellowjackets to a 23-23 record from 1995-99. "He loved football and he loved coaching, especially the offensive game. He loved to score points. His teams were excited on the offensive end for sure. They were fun to watch."
Johnson had been coaching in Utah the past three years and recently took over as the head coach at Cottonwood High after three seasons with Mountain View.
Following Oneonta, Johnson coached two high schools in Pennsylvania before moving to Utah. According to the Deseret News, a newspaper in Salt Lake City, Utah, Johnson had a 87-55 record over 15 years as a high school coach in New York, Pennsylvania and Utah.
"He brought excitement back to Oneonta football," Hughes said. "One of the reasons Oneonta football got better was because of Teko Johnson. He brought an exciting brand of football."
Besides football, Hughes said, Johnson had a great personality.
"He was a good guy and he was always talking about the game," Hughes said. "As a coach, you like guys who are following the game. He was a true football coach in every sense of the word. He also had a good sense of humor and was fun to be around. He cared about people and he stood up for what he believed in.
"He was a real good guy," Hughes continued. "I was saddened to hear about his death. He was too young."
Former Sidney coach dies
Tom Robertson, who earned more than 300 victories as Sidney's wrestling coach, died July 16 at age 76.
Robertson graduated from Windsor and Colgate, then taught and coached at Deposit from 1956-59. He moved on to Sidney in 1959 and stayed there until 1992.
Robertson has been inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame, Section Four Hall of Fame and the Sidney Alumni Hall of Fame.
