The SEMA Series gives members of the McCombs Sports, Entertainment & Media Association the chance to learn from alumni and local professionals working in sports, entertainment, and media. These conversations are focused on the speaker’s life and career, current industry events, and any other topics that come up.
Feb 3, 2012 – If you’ve followed the UT Men’s Basketball team this season, you’ve seen quite a show. If you’ve made it to the Frank Erwin Center for a game, you’ve seen the young team show big potential and you’ve seen them lose in heartbreakingly close games to some of the nation’s best. But you probably haven’t seen Jerry Johnson, even though he’s posted up at the scorer’s table during each home game. Jerry, the Associate Athletic Director of Basketball Operations, and his team in the UT Athletic Department make sure that the show at the Erwin Center is a good one every night and that the Men’s Basketball Program is always running smoothly. Last Friday, a small group from the McCombs Sports, Entertainment, & Media Association visited with Jerry at the team offices in Belmont Hall where we chatted about his career, his current role as Associate AD, and the business side of the UT basketball program.
Jerry has been around sports a long time and he has seen a lot of changes. He joined Converse during their glory years, reached his *dream job* as their head marketing executive, and then watched the once-powerful company drift into bankruptcy in the late 1990s once Nike and Adidas had taken over the team apparel industry. But his next chapter awaited him in the UT Athletics Department and he’s found the role that has become his *second dream job,* running the operations for the Men’s Basketball team.
During the energizing hour we spent together, it became obvious that Jerry loves what he does and his outgoing personality is perfectly suited for the job. He pulled no punches during our conversation; he told stories about the team’s travel adventures, discussed the financial sustainability of the program, shared his opinions on the Longhorn Network, and bragged about the team’s sweet training facilities. But hearing him talk about the time he spends with the players, or “the kids” as he would say, showed us another layer of Jerry’s life and career. He carries a busy schedule but fiercely protects his practice and game day routines with the players. As a close team member, but not a coach who determines their playing time, Jerry serves as a father figure to the players. He is someone with whom they can be totally honest… even after a tough loss on a big stage… and it’s clear he values those relationships. A father and family man himself, it came as little surprise that when asked who he considers his greatest role model, he didn’t even hesitate before telling us about his own father.
To all of us MBAs, Jerry also offered some advice. He encouraged us to be persistent and to never stop pursuing our passions, even if there isn’t always a wide open lane to the hoop. Good advice from a guy who has definitely followed it himself.
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