Don Johnson found plenty of success during his lifetime on the wrestling mat. But being a state champion wrestler and coach barely even touched the surface of what Johnson meant to many in the Lansing area. Johnson is remembered as a defining Eastern High School figure because of his contributions to the Quaker community and beyond. "He was a tremendous leader and mentor with not only his wrestling prowess and success, but the way he related to the kids," Eastern grad and longtime wrestling official Sam Davis said. "Don Johnson was a no-nonsense principal, he was a no-nonsense coach, but he was a community member and quite a leader. "I remember when he retired, as part of his retirement gift he was given a Jeep. Who makes that kind of impact in a community that they would give them a brand new car as part of his legacy, and then name a field house after him?" Lance Lynch wrestled at Eastern in the late 1950s and said Johnson became much more than a coach. Lynch became good friends with his former wrestling coach after graduating in 1959 and spent plenty of time with Johnson over the years. "He was a very strong mentor and quite responsible for any success that I've had in my life," Lynch said. "I appreciate him very much and he treated everyone very fairly." Johnson wrestled at Michigan State where he was an All-American in 1947, before embarking on a career as an administrator and coach. During his coaching career, Johnson guided the Quakers to five team state titles from 1948-1957. He also coached more than two dozen individual state champions. Bill Allen was urged to try wrestling by Johnson in the early 1950s and later coached and worked under him. Allen said Johnson's enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport made him a success. "He made champions out of kids who didn't start out with a lot of ability," Allen said. "He saw something in everybody and helped them become successful. He didn't give up on kids. He was just an inspiration." The wrestling success Johnson experienced led to him being part of the inaugural Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame class in 1976 and also earning inductions into the Eastern Athletic Hall of Fame and the Michigan Wrestling Association Hall of Fame. "He expected everyone that came out for wrestling to work as hard as he did at it," Lynch said. "One thing about Don, I don't think he ever coached a wrestler that he couldn't beat. He was an outstanding wrestling himself.