Bishop Dunne Coaching Staff is a Family Affair

Three coaches from the same family, four from the same LA-Tech Team, leading the Falcons into the District Playoffs Friday

Michael Johnson graduated from Bishop Dunne High School in 2000 and went to college on a full scholarship. Fourteen years later, the head coach of the Falcons has surrounded himself with what could be the Nation’s most effective and educated football staff. The Falcons, 9 - 1, play in the second round of the District playoffs. the quarter finals, this Friday at home against Midland Christian.

As a scholar-athlete, Johnson received many awards and recognitions in high school, including four-time All-State performer in football as both a running back and defensive back. In his senior year he was offensive MVP of the DFW All Star Game and The Dallas Morning News voted him into the top 100 players in Texas.

Johnson received a full athletic scholarship to Louisiana Tech University, where he had 38 career starts, 285 tackles, 16 pass break ups, and one interception as a free safety.

In 2004, Johnson returned to Bishop Dunne to teach world geography and coach football, basketball, and softball, leading the Falcons to the playoffs for the first time in ten years. Over the last four seasons, Johnson has had over two dozen players offered football scholarships. Many of those players are currently playing college football for their prospective programs including Notre Dame, Baylor, UT and Brown University. Coach Johnson is married to his Bishop Dunne High School sweetheart, Paula. They have one son, Michael Theophilus Johnson II and new baby Mila who arrived right after Christmas 2013, just a few months before the National Collegiate
Signing Day last year, when seven of Dunne’s athletes committed to colleges – six football players and one softball player. At 33, Johnson is the youngest Head Coach in his TAPPS 5A district.

Arriving with Johnson to coach the football team was his friend and classmate from Bishop Dunne, Myron Hawthorne, Class of 2000, who also went on to Louisiana Tech University on a full football scholarship. After graduating from Louisiana Tech in 2004, Hawthorne decided to return to Bishop Dunne with Johnson and make a difference in the young lives of scholar-athletes, just as he experienced while a student at Dunne.

Hawthorne teaches strength and conditioning while also coaching football and track, and he is Director of Transportation at the school, juggling bus drivers and routes all across Dallas. Off the field, Hawthorne is a family man, who is also married to his Bishop Dunne high school sweetheart Fallon, and helping to raise their three beautiful daughters, Malaja, Malana and Malaya.

Defensive Coordinator Delone Williams was a four year letterman at Louisiana Tech University from 2001 through 2005. His accomplishments include the Athletic Academic Achievement Award and three-time Academic All Western Athletic Conference honors. He also received an M.S. in Health and Exercise Science. He played alongside Johnson and Williams until the two graduated in 2004.

Williams worked directly with former Louisiana Tech University Athletic Director Jim Oakes, assisting with marketing and promotions for athletics, then joined his two teammates, Coach Williams and Hawthorne, at Bishop Dunne in 2007. He has taught world history, social studies, health, strength and conditioning, physical education, and speech. Since joining the football coaching staff, he has produced six All-State and thirteen All-District selections, thirteen athletic scholarships, and one Under
Armour All-American, Nick Watkins, playing as a true freshman at Notre Dame this fall. He and his wife, his college sweetheart Tiana, have one daughter, Kaylyn, and two sons, Delone Jordan (DJ) and baby Micah, who arrived in April.

Ryan Moats grew up in an Oak Cliff Neighborhood a mile from Bishop Dunne, attended Roosevelt High School for his freshman year, then transferred into Dunne’s cross-town rival Bishop Lynch where he broke records as a running back and received a full scholarship to Louisiana Tech. Myron Hawthorne was his fullback at Tech, and together the two broke records on the LA-Tech football team before Ryan was drafted into the NFL in the spring of his junior year. After playing for both the Philadelphia Eagles
and Houston Texans, Moats returned to his roots by joining the staff at Bishop Dunne in 2013, where he is Director of Marketing for Student Athletics.

Like his team mates at LA-Tech, Moats married his college sweetheart, Miss Louisiana Tech Tamishia Collinsworth, and has a daughter, Riley, and son R.J. and a baby on the way.

Two of Head Coach Michael Johnson’s brothers also coach the Falcons.

Older brother Walter Johnson graduated from Bishop Dunne in 1981 and earned a full Scholarship to San Angelo State. He returned to Dallas and was a professional singer before coming to Dunne in 2000 to work part time as a Guidance counselor. He began working full time the following year and has been the Dean of Students for over a dozen years. In addition to coaching the Wide Receivers at Dunne, he is the moderator of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Club on campus, and is also the pastor of Faithful Believers Baptist Church. He has three children attending Bishop Dunne: senior Alesia, sophomore Walter III, and 7th grader Nicholas.


John Johnson is the fifth son of Dorothy and Walter Johnson, Sr. and brother to both Michael and Walter Johnson. This is his fifth season in the coaching ranks, continuing to coach the inside and outside linebackers as well as deep snapping instruction since coming aboard in 2009. Johnson was born in Dallas and graduated from Wilmer Hutchins High School, where he was an all-district tight-end for the Eagles. Johnson earned his Bachelor’s degree in political science at Texas State University in 2001 and is currently completing his Masters of Arts degree in political science at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Two other Johnson brothers, Ron and David, are volunteering up in the broadcast booth, filming the games for the team to watch during practices the following week.

The Bishop Dunne Falcons had a successful season last year, beating both cross-town rivals Bishop Lynch for the first time since 1990 and Fort Worth Nolan. They went to the district play offs and made it through the first round before losing in the second. The team is undefeated this year and has racked up some impressive points, including a 51-0 opener against Dallas Christian and a 40-7 win against Madison, and a 64-0 shut-out of Roosevelt. Last week the team was 20 – 2 against Nolan until a blocked extra point and a blocked punt in the final minutes of the fourth quarter resulted in a 20 – 18 win.

Senior Quarterback Micah Simon has already heard from colleges such as Brigham Young, Stanford, Cornell and the Air Force Academy, and senior defensive end Jared Alex, ranked #3 in his senior class, also has offers from the Air Force Academy and Cornell, among others. Senior receiver A.D. Miller has already committed to Illinois, while senior Offensive and Defensive Lineman 6’4” 309-pound Darrion Daniels has 33 college offers to choose from. Senior defensive back Dailen Sutton has offers from Air Force and Yale. Middle linebacker Tre Blair has a
Grambling State University offer. Defensive end T.J. Jones was an honorable mention for Player of the Week for the Dallas Morning News in Week 5 of High School football. Senior Travis Cook was honored as Channel 11's "Scholar Athlete of the Month," two weeks ago, replete with a film crew coming to the school to interview him and a $1,000 check presented to him for college.

With 18 seniors on the team - two who came out this year just for fun - that averages out to about 45% of the seniors having full scholarship offers by week six – when barely half of the season was completed. The team's record is 9 - 1. 

“Our coaches know what it takes to play college ball,” says quarterback Micah Simon, “and they make sure we know it too – and that we are ready.”

The Falcons play in the quarter finals this Friday night at Earl Hayes Stadium on the Bishop Dunne Campus located at 3900 Rugged Drive, Dallas, 75224. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students. For more information see the school's website: www.bdcs.org or sports website: www.Dunnesports.com.