Millsap head coach Jacob Johnson will receive cancer treatment at a hospital the next three weeks. His son, Braun Johnson, said he has his back.
Millsap Football / Felts Photography
Courtesy to the Star-Telegram
Millsap head football coach Jacob Johnson has been battling chronic myeloid leukemia for more than three years.
In December, his cancer developed a rare mutation, which required him to receive intensive treatment and a stem cell transplant. He couldn’t see his family during the stretch, so he and his son, Braun Johnson, built a routine over the phone.
They talked every day and pushed each other to complete their workouts. Those looked a bit different, as Braun is Millsap’s starting running back.
Millsap head coach Jacob Johnson is photographed with his son, Braun Johnson, at a football game. Millsap football / Felts Photography Courtesy to the Star-Telegram
“He’d have my back, and I’d have his,” Jacob Johnson said. “So, that’s a pretty special deal between me and him.”
For months, Jacob Johnson’s health had been improving. But in mid-September, his cancer relapsed. He was readmitted to the hospital Monday, where he’ll spend three weeks receiving intensive treatment, including chemotherapy and another transplant.
As a result, he’ll miss the Bulldogs’ next three games (Rio Vista, Eastland and Hamilton). He’ll be separated from a team that is 5-1 overall and 3-0 in District 5-3A Division II, one year after finishing 1-4 in district.
Relying on their bond and faith, the father-son duo aims to get through it the same way they did in December: together.
An obstacle in a strong season
Braun was one of several key players who hit a “storm of adversity” last season, Jacob Johnson said. Facing a tough schedule, Millsap started 13 sophomores and a freshman and finished 3-7 (1-4).
Jacob Johnson said the team held a “big picture focus,” and those growing pains put Millsap in a position to thrive this season. He said the players aren’t surprised by the turnaround.
“I don’t say that arrogantly,” he said. “It’s just a matter of fact. We expect when we step onto the field to be able to compete with anyone.”
Leading the charge is Braun, a junior who is having a statistically absurd season. He is among national leaders with 16.6 yards per carry, 1,415 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns and 235.8 yards per game.
Millsap running back Braun Johnson makes a play. Millsap Football Courtesy to the Star-Telegram
Braun credited his faith first and then the teammates blocking in front of him. According to his father, there’s something others haven’t seen that has powered his success.
“He literally works out on top of what we do at school,” Jacob Johnson said. “He does his own every night. I have to stop him. I have to say, ‘Hey, you got to stop. You got to rest.’”
Balancing the roles of coach and dad can be challenging for some. Johnson, however, said he doesn’t separate the two roles. He said he’s coached most of the kids for years and can be a father figure if needed.
“[Football] is a ministry to me. One hundred percent a ministry,” he said. “I don’t care who you are. If you’re going to step into our program, you’re going to be treated the same way.”
Braun said his teammates have never treated him as the coach’s kid.
“At a lot of schools, a coach’s kid is treated poorly, or nobody respects them,” Braun said. “But here at Millsap, they see me as just another player, another brother. … [My father] sees me every day, I get to see him every day, and then we get to go out on the field and play together.
“That is a blessing.”
Due to Jacob Johnson’s cancer, it’s been an emotional time for Braun and the rest of the Bulldogs. Braun called the season a “spiritual experience” and “bigger than football.”
Braun said players, coaches and fans are rallying behind the team’s success and showing support for his dad.
“People who are Millsap Bulldogs are proud to be Millsap Bulldogs,” Jacob Johnson added.
Coaching from the hospital
Jacob Johnson said he has the utmost faith in his assistant coaches to lead the team while he is away. They’ve done it before — when he received treatment in December, the assistants kept everything running smoothly.
“It ran better than if I was there,” he said.
Jacob Johnson said returning to treatment will be extremely challenging physically, mentally and emotionally. He also said his faith in God, his wife, children and football team keep him motivated.
He said he prays every night to be returned to his family and his program.
“I think about Jesus and what Jesus went through and how he did it willingly,” Jacob Johnson said. “… He did it for me. So, I’ve got to go do it.”
Even from the hospital, his presence will be felt.
He’ll join game-planning calls, review film and send corrections on Hudl. During games, he’ll watch the stream and call his offensive coordinator in the press box.
“It’s a blessing and a curse that it’s going to happen during football season,” Jacob Johnson said. “It’s a curse because I’m going to miss a couple of games. But it’s a blessing because I’ll have stuff to do. I can watch tons of film.”
For Braun and his teammates, the next three weeks will test everything his father has taught them.
“My dad’s trained us since we were in kindergarten,” Braun said. “This is just going to show that what he taught us we can apply, even though he’s not there.”
Millsap will face Rio Vista (3-3) at 7 p.m. Friday at Rio Vista.
Braun said his father’s absence will take an emotional toll. But he said football has become their way to keep their promise to each other.
“[The cancer] doesn’t take my mind off football, because my dad trains me for football,” he said. “It motivates me [to do better].”
Relying on faith, Millsap community
A banner on the fence at Millsap’s field draws from 1 Corinthians 16:13, which tells men to be watchful, firm in their faith and strong. Jacob Johnson said the message applies whether he is on the sideline or not and wants players to be “young men of integrity.”
“Are you the same guy in the first quarter and the fourth quarter?” he said. “Or do you let circumstances change you?”
Back in August, Jacob Johnson told his players that the greatest stories come from life’s hardest moments. He told them nobody makes movies about people who don’t face extraordinary challenges.
He quickly added that he doesn’t consider himself extraordinary. But the situation he faces is.
“At times, it seems dark and adverse,” Jacob Johnson said. “But morning’s coming. We just got to hold on. Morning’s coming.”
Braun said he aims to continue his strong season while relying on his faith.
“Showing what a man of God can do through the power of Jesus,” Braun said. “And what Jesus can do for people.”
In a video posted to X Monday that received an outpouring of support, Jacob Johnson asked for prayers and said the following:
“I will fight for the Lord,” he said. “… I’m going to fight with everything I have. I’m going to fight for my family. For my wife. For my children. I’m going to fight for this team.”
Even in his absence, there will still be a Johnson on the field.
“I tell him I’m going to have his back always, because he always had mine,” Braun said.
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Charles Baggarly is a high school sports editor and reporter for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. He graduated from TCU in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and served as TCU 360’s sports editor. Connect with Charles on Twitter or via email.