RIPON, Wis. - Nick Johnson '03 is the most decorated player in Ripon College baseball history. A four-time First Team All-Conference selection as a centerfielder and pitcher, Johnson was named Midwest Conference Player of the Year three times and MWC Pitcher of the Year once, leading Ripon's baseball team to two MWC Championships and three NCAA postseason appearances. Also a three-time All-Region selection, Johnson's career culminated as a Senior in 2003 when he earned All-American honors and was voted as runner-up for NCAA Division-III Player of the Year. Inducted into the Ripon College Athletics Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible in 2013, Johnson also played basketball for the Red Hawks, where he helped the team qualify for the NCAA Tournament on two occasions.
"We called Nick 'The Mickey Mantle of Ripon College.' He is the best baseball player ever to play here, and that's not even debatable," legendary Ripon baseball and basketball coach Bob Gillespie said. "My father Gordie coached baseball for 60 years and recruited Nick to play for us. Gordie would often say that Nick was one of the best players he had ever coached."
One look at the Ripon College record books and you can see the impact that Johnson had on the program, as it is still littered with his name, 18 years after his graduation. He currently holds school and conference records for career home runs (42), runs batted in (183), runs scored (180), and total bases (401). Johnson also is tied for second in school history for career batting average (.403), second in walks (91), third in hits (213), and fourth in both doubles (46) and triples (8). On the pitcher's mound, Johnson finished his career ranking fifth in school history for strikeouts (180), wins (22), complete games (16), and shutouts (3).
"Being part of the athletics tradition at Ripon College means everything to me, and the things I learned playing there helped to shape me into the person I am today. It taught me valuable life lessons such as respect, teamwork, selflessness and perseverance," Johnson said. "The relationships I made with my teammates and coaches will last a lifetime. I had the opportunity to play with some incredible teammates at Ripon that were not only great athletes but great people as well."
No one made a bigger impact on Johnson's life at Ripon than the aforementioned Gordie Gillespie, who won six conference titles in his 10-year coaching stint with the Red Hawks. Three of the four highest single season win totals in program history came with Johnson leading Gordie's teams.
"Gordie is one of the greatest coaches and people I've ever had the opportunity to play for and be around. He did everything he could to make our lives better both as an athlete and person, and he served as a father figure to a lot of players on the team. We could go to Gordie for anything, and he always made the extra effort to get to know his athletes," Johnson said. "Gordie coached the person, not just the athlete. He went above and beyond to build relationships with our families - from our parents, grandparents, girlfriends/wives, friends, and even pets. A lot of the good that comes with me as a person has a lot to do with what Gordie taught me. I believe everyone that played for him would say the same because he inspired me to try to be great and still inspires me to do that to this day."
The culmination of Johnson's outstanding college career came as a senior in 2003 when he set new single season school records in batting average (.545), hits (79), RBI (63), total bases (141), and slugging percentage (.972), all of which still stand today. That helped the Red Hawks finish with a 32-6 record (15-1 in the MWC), marking the best single season winning percentage in program history. At the conclusion of that season, Johnson was named MWC Player AND MWC Pitcher of the Year, making him one of just three players in Midwest Conference history to achieve that feat, and one of only two to accomplish that in the same season. More important than all the awards and accolades however, was the winning, which Johnson did in both sports he participated.
"I had the opportunity to play on some great baseball and basketball teams, which in my opinion were some of the best Ripon has ever seen," Johnson said. "I often think of how successful our teams were and how hard we worked to get there, with each season becoming a new journey."
Wherever Johnson went in college, winning and success usually followed. In the two years that he played on Ripon's men's basketball team, the Red Hawks qualified for the NCAA Tournament both times, winning a First Round game in Johnson's freshman season. In 54 career games, Johnson averaged 5.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
A native of Prescott, Wis., life has now come full circle for Johnson, who coaches both basketball and softball at Prescott High School, while also teaching Physical Education. In 10 years as head basketball coach, Johnson has compiled an astounding career record of 199-42, while going 95-8 in conference play during the last eight seasons. In 2018, he led Prescott to their first State Championship in school history.
"I played for some of the greatest coaches ever while I was at Ripon," Johnson said. "Those coaches taught me so many things that I continue to use today in my own coaching career."
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