FAIRMONT — Success on the football field often comes from high-quality coaching. Now, because of the Fairmont Cardinals’ success on the field, a long-tenured member of the coaching staff has been honored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA).

After 17 seasons leading the Fairmont football team’s defense, and another two as an assistant coach, Fairmont defensive coordinator Brad Johnson has been named one of the 2019 Butch Nash Award winners.

Every year, the MFCA picks a number of coaches who represent and honor the legacy of the long-time University of Minnesota assistant coach. The award honors high-level assistant coaches who have been considered “front liners,” by the MFCA. Someone who makes major in-game decisions and is approaching the head-coach level, usually chosen after years of success.

Johnson said being chosen for the Butch Nash Award is a special honor because it’s chosen by other coaches.

“Being part of the coaches association, I knew they gave out this award. Anytime your peers pick you to receive an award like this, it’s a good thing,” Johnson said. “I’m honored.”

Johnson was nominated by Cardinals head coach Mat Mahoney, the fourth Fairmont coach Johnson has worked for.

Johnson first came to the Fairmont football program as an assistant under Jim Simser in 1999 after being an assistant at Jackson County Central for two years. He was an assistant under head coach Jerry Tietje for two more seasons, then took the defensive coordinator position under head coach Troy Cody in 2002.

“Even with Mahoney, they all have their different styles of coaching,” Johnson said of staying with a program through multiple head coaching tenures. “We (Johnson and Mahoney) do our pregame or our preweek planning together and kind of discuss how to do things.

“As far as when he came in, he was a pretty young guy and I had been around for a while, so I felt that he allowed me to continue with what I had started under Troy. Then we’ve had to, together, evolve our defense as the offenses have evolved.”

Johnson said through his 17 years as a defensive coordinator, he has noticed a change in high school football, but not in the athletes who play it.

“When I first started as a defensive coordinator, there wasn’t a lot of spread teams,” Johnson said. “A lot of teams were still under center and really trying to run the ball. Now, the RPO’s, the run-pass option, game has really changed the way a defensive coordinator has to adapt to the game. It definitely changed to a more wide-open game.

“Kids are kids. … On the football field, I haven’t seen a big difference with the athletes. They’re still trying to play the same game.”

In his 17 years running the defense, Johnson has helped lead the Cardinals to two state championship appearances — first in 2011 when his defense averaged 17 points allowed per game, and then in 2018 when the defense averaged 16.9 points per game. Under his tutelage, the Cardinals also reached the state quarterfinals in both 2013 and 2017.

In the four seasons the Cardinals went to the state tournament, Johnson’s defense forced turnovers and reached the opposing quarterback enough to keep teams down.

In 2011, the Cardinal defense racked up 19 interceptions, with two returned for touchdowns, with 35 sacks totaling 234 yards lost for opposing offenses and picking up 13 fumbles with one returned for a touchdown. Through the 2013 season, Fairmont’s defense recovered 19 fumbles, returning one for a touchdown, while garnering eight interceptions and 23 sacks for an opposing loss of 145 yards.

During the 2017 season, Fairmont recovered nine fumbles, picked off 18 passes, including two for touchdowns and one for two points on a two-point conversion attempt, and recorded 22 sacks for a loss of 165 yards.

He’s helped lead the Cardinals to nine section championship games through his time as defensive coordinator, including five consecutive, all facing off with Section 3AAA rival Jackson County Central.

This season, Johnson continued his success, controlling the Cardinal defense, averaging 17.4 points allowed per game and allowing opponents to score more than 20 points only four times in 10 games, while shutting out two opponents and holding another to fewer than 10 points. Through his tenure as defensive coordinator, Johnson has helped lead the Cardinals to more than 100 wins.

With his selection, Johnson becomes the third Fairmont Cardinal coach to receive the Butch Nash award, following Arv Soma and Gary Andersen.

Through years of changes at the head coach position, other changes on the coaching staff and changes in the game of football, Johnson said there are a couple of factors playing into the Cardinals’ ability to sustain success.

“Good coaches for one,” Johnson said. “Having a consistent coaching core is big in any sport. If you keep your coaches around, it’s good for the program. Fairmont just has great athletes here. We continue to put good football teams on the field because the kids are good athletes and the coaches work hard to put it all together.”