Assistant manager Gary Johnson is a man who has seen it all for the Bison women’s soccer team. For over a decade, he has dedicated himself to the welfare of the Bisons with a big smile on his face, even in times where the team faced a slew of uphill battles.
The women’s soccer program at the University of Manitoba was established on strong roots; a management team of Johnson and head athletic director Walt McKee kicked off their inauguration as a local league club. However, they had realized their foundations were weak, as Johnson recalls fondly.
“The adversity was that we didn’t have any money – there wasn’t an advantage of being on the team. We knew we were going to be in the CIS in 2005, so we did a tour of Canada West and we got our butts beat pretty badly,” said Johnson with a laugh.
Eventually through improvements in the recruitment process, home-grown talent came flooding and the Bisons were able to make a name for themselves in Canada West.
In the midst of their glory days in the CIS, McKee was forced to retire due to health issues, causing a ripple effect in Bison management – the team have gone through three managers since 2010. When asked if Johnson had ever thought about head management, he was very direct with his answer.
“No, never – I don’t have the qualifications and licenses and because I was older, I have no incentive to get it. If I had been 30 years younger, then yes I would get my license. But I have to honest with myself, I’m a really good assistant coach,” said Johnson, with another laugh.
