Texas State announced the passing of former women’s basketball coach Noel Johnson on Tuesday.
Johnson, 47, was in a 14-month battle against ovarian cancer. She was the lead assistant of the Bobcat coaching staff under head coach Suzanne Fox from 1998-2007 before spending one season as the North Texas head coach and the next 12 at Midwestern State. Johnson’s 159 victories with the Mustangs are the most in program history.
During her time in San Marcos, Johnson helped Texas State win the 2003 Southland Conference championship and helped recruit 11 All-Southland Conference players.
“I am blessed that Coach Marsha Sharp recommended Noel to me when I took the head coaching position in 1997,” Fox said in a statement. “Noel was young, eager, and more than anything a competitor. She had experienced success at the highest levels and was able to funnel that drive and compassion to her players. She had a wicked sense of humor, and more than anything, she enjoyed life and working with young people. Her life impacted so many in the Bobcat family, and we will miss her dearly. Our thoughts and prayers are with Noel’s family during this difficult time.”
Johnson was also a member of the Texas Tech team that won the NCAA Championship in 1993. She was a member of the All-Southwest Conference team three times during her playing career and an All-Region selection one. She remains second in the Lady Raiders’ record book in both 3-pointers made and attempted, going 256-603 from deep during her career.
“Noel (Johnson) has left a positive stamp everywhere she has been,” current Texas State head coach Zenarae Antoine said in a statement. “I remember watching her as a point guard for Texas Tech when they made the 1993 tournament run. I recall so many positive stories about her time at Texas State, and I have appreciated her as a coaching colleague, her passion for the game, and even more for the care she gave to her athletes. Her fight to the next chapter is very much in character for the great woman she is. The entire Bobcat Family mourns and celebrates Coach Noel Johnson.”
Johnson graduated from Texas Tech in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science, minoring in English, and went on to earn her master’s degree in education from Texas State in 2002. She was inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame in 2005, the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2019.
“Noel was a bright light and a passionate coach,” Texas State Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director Tracy Shoemake in statement. She was an excellent teacher, mentor, and leader. Most of all, she was a champion on the court and in life. Noel inspired so many and will forever be missed and remembered. Her passing is a tremendous loss for the basketball community.”
