By Linfield Sports Information

Frank Johnson has been appointed interim head coach of the Linfield University men's and women's wrestling teams, director of athletics Dr. Garry Killgore announced on Monday. He replaces Chad Hanke, who resigned his position in March.

"I am really excited to add Frank to our coaching staff," said Killgore. "It's really special to be able to add a coach of Frank's caliber to our team. He comes highly recommended from the Restore Oregon Wrestling group and I have nothing but admiration from that group of people, too. Once I got to talk with Frank, I realized what a great fit he would be for our program. He's going to be a super great leader for our student-athletes and he'll be an outstanding teammate for the people upstairs to work with as well."

A seasoned leader with 12 years of collegiate head coaching experience, Johnson is eager to take over Linfield's prospering wrestling program, which will begin its second year of varsity competition this fall.

"I'm thrilled that Linfield has stepped up as a catalyst for the sport of wrestling in the Northwest Conference and I'm very much looking forward to working with the outstanding student-athletes who have chosen to continue their careers here," he said. "It has been clear from my first conversations that the administration is committed to high academic standards while pursuing excellence in athletics on a national level. I'm excited to be a part of Oregon's newest collegiate program and I know we're going to have a lot to celebrate with both the men's and women's wrestling programs."

Johnson helped launch the men's wrestling program at Warner Pacific University, serving as head coach for seven seasons, and also was head coach at his alma mater, Pacific University, for five years. During that span, he coached 19 All-Americans, six national finalists and one national champion. At Pacific, he founded the women's wrestling program, from which four members of that inaugural team were chosen to participate in the U.S. Olympic residency program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. During his tenure, he led the Pacific men's team to three regional championships.

In addition, Johnson brings 17 years of high school head coaching experience to his new role at Linfield. Most recently, he led Valor Christian High School, recognized as one of the top college prep high schools in the nation. Valor Christian is located in Highlands Ranch, Colo. He has also worked as head coach at Forest Grove High School for 12 seasons, Kennewick High School (Wash.) for one season, and Baldwin High School (Wailuku, Hawaii) for five years.

Johnson is confident Linfield's wrestling program will continue to set new benchmarks for success and become a model program in the Pacific Northwest.

"Moving forward, I believe the sky is the limit," he said. "Linfield is putting the pieces in place to set the standard for other Northwest Conference schools to follow for men's and women's wrestling. With a successful first season already in the books and the support that has been generated, wrestlers who choose to come to Linfield are going to have a tremendous experience as student-athletes. I can't wait to get started. We're going to build some incredible memories here."

Frank and his wife, Tammy, reside in Forest Grove. They have three grown sons: Josh, C.J., and Matthew.

He begins his new position on June 1.