WATCH: Texas high school coach with only months to live delivers powerful message after leading team to title
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Back in 2015, Newton Eagles coach W.T. Johnston developed graft vs. host disease following a double lung transplant. Prior to the 2018 season, he was given only eight months to live.
Though his time on earth may be growing short, Johnston was there on Thursday when the Eagles claimed the Texas High School 3A Division II state title with a 21-16 victory.
After his team’s emotional win, Johnston spoke with FOX Sports Southwest, sharing one of the most inspirational and powerful messages you’ll ever hear from a coach:
In August, Newton head coach W.T. Johnston told his team he might not make it through the season.
Thursday, he delivered one of the most powerful postgame speeches you'll ever see after his team won the Texas High School State Championship. pic.twitter.com/YK3ksrMZKi
— ESPN (@espn) December 21, 2018
“This has been a long journey,” Johnston told Fox Sports Southwest. “We got together in August, right before we started practicing, and I told them I probably wouldn’t make it through the season. I was only given eight months to live, and I wanted them to be aware of what was going on. And then we got a little going, there was about two or three weeks during the season I didn’t think I was going to make it, and we talked about that. I always told them this was the last lesson I’m going to teach them. I’ve been around these guys and their dads and their mothers since 1991 and I told them this would be the last lesson I would ever teach them is how to live before you die — where you put your strength and where you put your belief. The Lord has done so much for me, it’s unbelievable what Jesus has let me do and see through these kids.
“I tell everybody and they don’t understand this, I’ve been given a great gift, and people just don’t understand that. The gift I’ve been given is to see how my life could affect people before I die. These guys, they’ve touched my life and it’s been a mutual thing. I’ve been able to teach them a lesson that you don’t get to see most times. … They talked about wanting to win for me, this is their time. I’ve had my time. This is the kids’ time. I told them, ‘Do it for your teammates, do it for you.’”
Johnston may not be long for this world, but the players will carry on his legacy and his memory for years to come.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
