Temple College Cuts Ribbon on New Kirby Johnson Court, Honoring Longtime Men’s Basketball Coach

On Saturday, Temple College celebrated longtime men’s basketball coach Kirby Johnson by naming the Leopards’ home court in his honor. Johnson served as head coach for 33 years, retiring in in 2020 with more than 700 wins.

Several hundred family, friends, former players, colleagues and community members were on hand for the naming ceremony and the official grand opening of the new Kirby Johnson Court, which is housed in the College’s Harry Q. Cole Gymnasium. The court is home to the Leopards basketball and volleyball teams.

Johnson said there are two reasons coaches have their names on courts: longevity and success. He said he coached and taught at Temple College for 33 years because of the people – fellow coaches, administrators and support staff. The success he achieved, he said, was due to the players he coached throughout his career.

“Obviously, for something like this to happen, I had a whole lot of really good players,” he said, naming a number of former players in the stands. “The biggest honor a coach can get is to have his name on a court. The guys who played for me … this is my name on the court, but this is you.”

Johnson began coaching at a junior high school in Lubbock before moving to Temple High School and then to Temple College in 1987. He coached a total of 38 seasons.

Dr. Christy Ponce, President of Temple College, and members of the Board of Trustees presented Johnson with a proclamation thanking Johnson for his investment in “countless” students the court and in the classroom, and celebrating his accomplishments. Some of those successes include:

• Being ranked Number One in NJCAA Division I wins in the state of Texas when he retired in 2020
• Averaging 101 points per game over 1,019 games coached
• Holding the NJCAA record for points scored in a game – 173 against Southwestern Christian in the 1994-95 season
• Leading his teams to more than 100,000 scoring points
• Guiding his Temple College teams to winning 20 or more games per season for 25 of his 33 years at the helm

Ponce took the moment to share another announcement.

“Today, Nov. 2, 2024, in addition to the naming of the Kirby Johnson Court, we are happy to announce that Coach Kirby Johnson is officially inducted into the NJCAA Athletics Hall of Fame,” Ponce told the crowd.

Coach Clifton Ellis, who played point guard for Johnson from 1995-97 before taking over for the coach in the 2020-21 season, said he considers Johnson a mentor.

“He was coach, he drove the van, he was a referee during practice, he was the mediator, and he would tell you that he was the team psychologist as well,” Ellis said with a laugh, adding that Johnson made an incredible impact on the players he coached.

“For us as former players, there’s not a major decision that we make in our life that we don’t somehow think to ourselves, ‘What would Coach Johnson do in this situation,” Ellis said. “Seeing him able to get his name here on the court signifies what an impact he made.”

Following the naming and ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Leopards men’s basketball team played its first home game of the 2024-25 season against Fort Cavazos.

The new court, featuring the coach’s signature and new designs, was completed by QHF Sports during the summer.

The Leopards volleyball team has been playing on the court since the season began this fall. The Leopards played their final home game of the season on the court Saturday, defeating Vernon College in three sets to earn a spot NJCAA Region V Tournament in Roswell, New Mexico.

About Temple College
Temple College is “Your Community’s College,” a dynamic and growing community college that equips thousands of Central Texas students with the knowledge and skills for 21st-century success. Temple College, which has campuses in Temple, Hutto, Taylor and Rockdale, offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs to students who seek to earn credits for transfer, graduate with an associate degree or complete a certificate for fast entry into the workforce.

Founded in 1926, Temple College has enjoyed a reputation for academic excellence for 98 years. It is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs, from visual and performing arts to competitive athletics. The College has become one of the state’s premiere institutions for healthcare providers’ education and training, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development programs. The faculty and staff are committed to providing exceptional quality instruction.