Johnson Family Reunion: Tuesday will Bring Together Officiating Brothers, Coaching Cousins
By
Mike Dunn
Special for MHSAA.com
December 12, 2025
GAYLORD – What a night it will be.
The Big North Conference game this Tuesday between visiting Traverse City Central and host Gaylord has a coaching connection that will be a draw in itself. Central is led by former Gaylord hoops standout Luke Johnson, while Gaylord is coached by Luke’s cousin Justin Johnson – another past Blue Devils hoops standout who graduated in 1995 with school records for single-game, single-season and career 3-pointers.
Luke graduated in 1997 as Gaylord’s all-time leading scorer with 1,571 points and went on to play four years at Central Michigan University. He coached the boys at Elk Rapids for 14 seasons and is now in his second year coaching in Traverse City, where he is also an assistant principal at Traverse City East Middle School. Justin, owner and operator of the local Bulldog Painting business, is in his first year as the Blue Devils’ head coach after serving previously as the JV coach.
The cousins were Gaylord teammates on the storied 1994-95 team that captured the District title with a thrilling come-from-behind victory at the old Petoskey gym. They will be facing each other as head coaches on the hardwood for the first time – and Justin’s son Carter, a junior wing, is in his first year on the Gaylord varsity.
On top of that, the Johnson cousins will be coaching against each other in the gymnasium named after Luke’s grandfather Jim Mongeau. Ironically enough, the Jim Mongeau gymnasium was dedicated on December 16, 1994, the same day 31 years before.
If that was solely the storyline for Tuesday’s game, it would make for a memorable occasion.
But there is more to this story … much more.
Three brothers with whistles
As it turns out, the biggest storyline of this memorable night is the officiating crew.
Not only will Luke and Justin be facing off Tuesday with Justin’s son also competing on the floor, but the three men wearing the striped shirts with whistles around their necks will be Johnson brothers Tommy, Steve, and Dave. Tom is Luke’s dad, and Steve is Justin Johnson’s father.
Between them, there is more than 125 years of hardwood officiating experience: Tom is in his 50th year, Steve is in his 45th, and Dave in his 32nd season.
The brothers have worked together more times than they can count over the decades, though not as much in recent years. Tom has had his own crew of officials for a while. Steve and Dave have teamed with Charlie Lovelace to form their own crew.
Tuesday’s game in Gaylord will be the first time any of the brothers have worked a game coached by Luke or Justin.
And it very well could be the final time the three brothers officiate a game together. In fact, this is quite likely given the present circumstances.
Tom’s battle with cancer
Tom has inoperable pancreatic cancer and is undergoing regular chemotherapy treatments. Just the fact that he is still actively officiating this season is remarkable in one way, given his prognosis, and yet not remarkable at all for anyone who knows Tommy and the inner drive and mental toughness that is so much a part of his make-up – character traits he has exhibited since the glory days in the late 1960s when he was a star student-athlete competing for Gaylord in football, basketball, and baseball.
That inner drive and willingness to persevere continue to serve Tom well, especially during this challenging season of life.
As Steve said, “Tommy definitely has the Johnson gift of stubbornness.”
And Dave agreed: “Tommy is fighting this with everything he has. He’s gonna go down swinging, because that’s just who he is.”
Tom has been very open about his battle with cancer. He was diagnosed Nov. 13, 2023, and at one point his weight was down to 138 pounds.
Tom was at home in his favorite chair in February with wife Jenni tending to him – “My wife’s been a saint through all this and the best nurse I’ve ever had,” he noted – when he made a decision.
“I told my wife if I just sit here in this chair, I’m gonna die and I don’t want to just give in to this,” Tom said.
“I made up my mind right then that I’m gonna take the proactive approach to this. I’m gonna live till I die. People think I’m being funny when I say that, but I’m serious. I’m gonna live till I die. I’m not gonna sit out the rest of my life. It’s all in the hands of the good Lord, and He’s the One who’s gonna let me know when my time comes.”
Tom retired as a physical education teacher at Gaylord in 2007 but has continued to coach as well as officiate volleyball, basketball and baseball. Because of recent developments, Tom was initially going to give up coaching the Gaylord boys golf team last spring but opted to stay on, extending his coaching career that dates back 49 years at Gaylord and includes a long stint as the varsity boys hoops coach from 1987-97 and then 2003-07 in addition to being the freshmen football coach for a stint, the baseball coach, and, for the past 16 years, the boys golf coach.
“The golf kids were great to work with,” Tom recalled. “I had some limitations, and they accepted and adapted and it was actually a fun season.”
‘I want to be out there’
Fast forward to the present school year. It would have been easy for Tom to lay down his whistle, but he’s not ready for that. He officiated about 30 nights during the volleyball season, and that went pretty well. Now he plans to continue officiating basketball as long as he is physically able and knows he can still call a good game.
“I just want to be out there doing one of the things God has designed for me to do,” he said. “I still enjoy it. We set a goal at the start of the school year to get through the volleyball season first and make it to Thanksgiving, and we’ve met that goal. The next goal is Christmas. And we’ll set other goals after that. But in the meantime, I plan to stay as active as I can doing things I love doing.”
Tom plans to officiate the full basketball season, as God enables him. The one date he is especially looking forward to, though, is Tuesday, Dec. 16.
“It’ll be a great night,” Tom said. “I’ve reffed numerous games at ‘The Mong’ since it opened in 1995, but this will be a very special night not just for me but for all the Johnson family.
“I only hope in the midst of it I can communicate in some way how much I have appreciated the Gaylord community over the years and how much I’ve loved being a part of this community along with my family, and especially being part of Gaylord schools for so many years.”
Tom has quite a unique history with Gaylord basketball as a player and a coach. Tom played in the final high school game in the old community center during his junior year and played in the first game at the old gym that now serves as the middle school gym. He also coached the final high school game at the old gym during the 1994-95 season and coached the first game played at the newly-dedicated Jim Mongeau Gymnasium in January of 1995 against St. Ignace.
He also coached the amazing District championship game against favored Petoskey in its old gym packed to the rafters that March of 1995, a game that many still talk about to this day. The Blue Devils, with Justin knocking down the long ones and Luke distributing and driving through the lane, narrowly edged the excellent Petoskey team that featured Trevor Huffman and John Flynn.
Brennan Fitzek hit what proved to be the game-winning shot in the waning seconds, and Gaylord made a final stop on defense to secure the hard-earned trophy.
"We had some epic battles with Petoskey in those days," Tom said. "Petoskey had some great teams with Huffman and Flynn and a great coach in Dennis Starkey, who is still a friend to this day. It was tremendous competition."
‘I was just mowing’
It was Dave Johnson, the youngest of the brothers, who first had the idea of officiating the Dec. 16 game together.
“I was just mowing my grass one day soon after Justin was hired as the varsity coach and thinking ahead about the night when Luke comes from T.C. Central to play Gaylord,” Dave recalled. “Here you have the two coaches who are cousins from Gaylord facing each other in the gym named after their grandfather and Justin’s son playing for Gaylord on top of that. Wouldn’t it be cool if we three brothers could officiate the game that night?”
Dave dismounted the mower then and there and made phone calls to Steve and Tommy to see what they thought about the possibility. Then they contacted Luke and Justin and, before very long, everything was set in motion.
“The stars all aligned,” Dave said with a chuckle. “Justin and Luke were both on board with it, and they got the approval of their ADs. Everything that needed to happen for this to come together happened. It’s gonna be a great night and a historic night.”
When the family got together for a meal in September to celebrate Tom’s birthday, all the details about the Dec. 16 game were discussed. By the time the meal was over, everything was ironed out and everyone was in agreement.
“There’s so much nostalgia and history wrapped up in this one night,” Dave noted. “You have Tommy, the son-in-law of Jim Mongeau, in his 50th year officiating. To me, this night is really a tribute to Tommy and Jen and their lives revolving around Gaylord athletics.”
It will be a milestone night in another way.
“This will probably be the final time we three brothers have the chance to officiate a game together,” Dave said. “Steve is working through a knee injury right now, and my health is not what it used to be either. But if this is our final game as an officiating crew, we couldn’t have picked a better one.”
Steve’s knee has been giving him fits lately and, for the first time in 45 seasons, has caused him to miss some games because of an injury. He is hoping to recover well enough to return to the floor in January and resume a normal schedule.
There is only one game Steve will officiate in the whole month of December, and it’s the one game he wouldn’t miss for anything.
“I know it’ll be one of the best nights of my life,” Steve said. “How great it’ll be for Dave and I to get to work with Tommy again and to see all the people there. It’ll be a night for reflecting on so many memories and making some new ones.”
Looking forward
“I’m thrilled with how this has all come together,” Luke said. “This night will not only be a great tribute to my dad but to a family that’s been involved in Gaylord athletics for 50-plus years.
“If you include my grandfather, then you’re going back 70 years or more with Gaylord. I know my dad impacted a lot of lives as a teacher and a coach over the years, and my grandfather had the same kind of legacy before him.”
Luke is naturally excited for the game itself but more excited for the moment, especially given his dad’s health challenges.
“Obviously, the circumstances with my dad create a different perspective for the night,” he added. “My hope is we can just soak in the history and enjoy the moment and not let it rush by. We likely won’t have another night like this one.”
PHOTOS (Top) Brothers, from left, Steve, Dave and Tom Johnson – here at Gaylord High School – will referee the varsity boys basketball game Tuesday between Gaylord and Traverse City Central. (2) Cousins Luke Johnson, left, and Justin Johnson are the varsity coaches for Traverse City Central and Gaylord, respectively. (3) The Johnson brothers, here during their younger days, have a combined 127 yards of officiating to their credit. (4) Tom Johnson is in his 50th season officiating, a run filled with many memories including refereeing his grandson’s game at Elk Rapids (lower left). (5) This collage, from top left, includes longtime coach Jim Mongeau speaking with a Gaylord player during the 1960s, Tom Johnson coaching a player during the 1990s, and Luke now coaching. (Photos courtesy of, in part, RD Sports Photo and Photography by Joanie Moore, with others collected by the Weekly Choice and Charlevoix County News.)
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Boys Regional Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 5, 2024
As the saying goes, at this point in the tournament every team still playing has accomplished something – in this case, winning at least a District championship.
And the path is much shorter for the 128 remaining contenders hoping to find their way to East Lansing in two weeks.
Once again, everything you could want to know this week about tickets, brackets and more can be found on the Boys Basketball page. To watch any of several games online, visit the NFHS Network.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Menominee 51, Iron Mountain 49 These two have seemed on a Division 3 District Final collision course since Menominee (18-6) won their first matchup 60-58 in overtime on Feb. 5, and Iron Mountain (22-2) ended its season with its only losses to the Maroons.
2. River Rouge 59, Dearborn 58 The Panthers (14-10) clinched a Division 1 District title by handing Dearborn (23-1) its only defeat.
3. Saginaw Arthur Hill 53, Freeland 47 The Lumberjacks (17-5) earned one more matchup with rival Saginaw High in this week’s Regional by downing a Falcons team (20-4) that has been in the Division 2 conversation all season.
4. Detroit Cass Tech 61, Detroit Martin Luther King 59 (OT) This Division 1 District Final finished a season series that saw the Technicians win both matchups in overtime, the first by five points.
5. Cass City 51, Harbor Beach 48 The Red Hawks (23-1) clinched their Division 3 District title by avenging their lone loss, 56-43 to Harbor Beach (20-4) on Feb. 9.
Regionals at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Renaissance
North Farmington (19-2) vs. Birmingham Groves (13-11)
Detroit U-D Jesuit (18-5) vs. Warren De La Salle Collegiate (15-7)
A Catholic High School League Central team has reached the Division 1/Class A Semifinals five straight seasons (not counting COVID-canceled 2020), and while Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (playing at Milford this week) is the favorite to do that, the regular-season champion has not always ended up the last team playing. De La Salle and Jesuit split during the regular season, Jesuit winning the first time 64-55 and De La Salle the rematch 57-56. On the other side, North Farmington shared the Oakland Activities Association Red title and Groves finished fifth, the Raiders winning their matchups 65-42 and 57-49. North Farmington finished the regular season with the third-highest Division 1 MPR.
Gaylord
Cadillac (19-5) vs. Traverse City West (22-2)
Saginaw Heritage (20-3) vs. Muskegon (21-2)
Coming off two straight trips to the Division 2 Quarterfinals, Cadillac has been even better this season while now in Division 1. The Vikings’ only losses were to Whitehall and Wayne Memorial, and they won the Big North Conference outright thanks in part to 55-44 and 58-44 wins over second-place West. On the other side of the bracket might be one of the most anticipated matchups this week. Heritage won the Saginaw Valley League title as one of eight league teams with at least 13 wins heading into this week, and the Hawks are 14-1 over their last 15 games. Muskegon is the reigning Division 1 runner-up, shared the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title and has a 10-game winning streak.
Northville
Ypsilanti Lincoln (18-6) vs. Wayne Memorial (17-6)
Ann Arbor Huron (19-4) vs. Detroit Catholic Central (15-8)
Lincoln may have cooled off a bit after a 12-2 start, but the Railsplitters have heated up again and defeated Southeastern Conference Red champion Saline 62-57 in last week’s District Final. Lincoln also owns a Dec. 16 win over Wayne, 56-47, although the Zebras also have been surging with 10 wins over their last 12 games. Huron tied for second in the SEC Red but owns a sweep of Lincoln and edged rival Ann Arbor Pioneer 59-57 last week to get here. The favorite might still be DCC, which finished 10th in statewide Division 1 MPR while tying for fifth in the CHSL Central. All but one of the Shamrocks’ losses came in league play, with the first to Dearborn, which finished 23-1.
DIVISION 2
Corunna
Saginaw (15-9) vs. Saginaw Arthur Hill (17-5)
Shepherd (15-9) vs. Flint Powers Catholic (19-5)
Although the end of Saginaw and Arthur Hill’s 114-year rivalry was commemorated with their final regular-season matchup Feb. 16, there was always the anticipation they could meet one more time in the postseason. They’ll do so to open tonight’s Regional, with Arthur Hill having won that first matchup 84-52 but that potentially not indicating much as these rivals rev up for one last meeting. Arthur Hill was third in the SVL and Powers and Saginaw tied for fifth, with the Chargers defeating Arthur Hill 72-67 and falling to Saginaw High 66-56. Shepherd will do its best to break up the SVL reunion coming off two wins over Tri-Valley Conference teams in last week’s District.
Flat Rock
Detroit University Prep (15-8) vs. Romulus Summit Academy North (22-2)
Dundee (20-4) vs. Dearborn Heights Robichaud (19-4)
Summit is playing in a Regional for the fourth-straight season and seeking to advance to the final week for the third time during this run, this time with its losses by a combined four points to Riverview Gabriel Richard (20-3) and Detroit Old Redford (17-7). The Dragons won the Charter School Conference Gold championship thanks to an 85-58 win over runner-up University Prep on Jan. 22, but UPA has seen several more of the state’s top teams and defeated River Rouge among its best victories. Dundee opened this season 14-1 and is on a five-game winning streak that included claiming a second-straight District title. The Vikings are running into a Robichaud team that’s won nine straight games and the outright Western Wayne Athletic Conference title and is making its third-straight Regional appearance.
Wayland
Benton Harbor (23-1) vs. Paw Paw (12-13)
Grand Rapids Christian (22-2) vs. Holland Christian (15-9)
Benton Harbor entered the postseason with the highest MPR in Division 2 and continued to back it up last week with a 60-42 win over Stevensville Lakeshore (13-10) and 58-48 clincher over Niles (19-6). Paw Paw has won five of its last six and will try to add to its upset last week of South Haven (15-7). Grand Rapids Christian was No. 4 in Division 2 MPR entering the postseason and defeated Grand Rapids South Christian (19-6) narrowly last week, 52-49, to advance. It would be easy to anticipate an Eagles/Tigers matchup in the Regional Final, but GRC surely isn’t looking past Holland Christian, which has won seven of its last eight games.
DIVISION 3
Houghton Lake
Ithaca (16-8) vs. McBain (22-2)
Sanford Meridian (20-4) vs. Beal City (20-4)
Three 20-win teams at this Regional quickly grab the attention, and Ithaca like Beal City was a league runner-up this winter. McBain was first and the Aggies second in the Highland Conference, with McBain winning their matchups 60-43 and 72-48. Meridian was the champion of the Jack Pine Conference and didn’t see any of these three teams this season but has only one Division 3 loss, to Pewamo-Westphalia (22-2). Beal City and Ithaca did meet early, with the Aggies winning 74-68 on Dec. 19. The Meridian/Beal City matchup is a rematch of a 2023 District Final, won by the Mustangs 43-40.
Jackson Lumen Christi
Hanover-Horton (16-8) vs. Jackson Lumen Christi (20-4)
Chesaning (24-0) vs. Laingsburg (24-0)
All four of these teams were league champions, but the Tuesday headliner surely is the meeting of undefeated contenders. Chesaning is coming off its first District title in decades, and Laingsburg is seeking its second-straight Regional championship and is a combined 49-1 over its last 50 games. A pair of victories over P-W and a 72-65 edging of Freeland (20-4) remain the defining wins for the Wolfpack, while Chesaning has downed Saginaw Nouvel (19-5) and Durand (19-5) twice among others. Lumen Christi continues to build on its best season since at least 2014-15, with three of its four losses to teams that have won at least 20 games. Hanover-Horton also has made a nice jump returning to Regionals after missing the last two seasons while hovering near .500.
Watervliet
Union City (16-9) vs. Niles Brandywine (21-3)
Schoolcraft (21-3) vs. Watervliet (19-5)
Brandywine joins Benton Harbor (see above) in giving the five-team Lakeland Conference statewide contenders in both Divisions 2 and 3. The Bobcats reached the Semifinals a year ago and have a 64-53 win over Watervliet from Jan. 24. Watervliet and Schoolcraft were the outright champions in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Schoolcraft in the Valley and Watervliet in the Lakeshore – and Schoolcraft won their Jan. 9 matchup 67-35. Union City finished fourth in the Big 8 Conference but has emerged with eight wins over its last 10 games as it continues to build up its first winning season since 2018-19.
DIVISION 4
Bellaire
Buckley (15-9) vs. Maple City Glen Lake (20-4)
Hillman (22-2) vs. Bellaire (20-4)
Hillman and Bellaire are both league champions, and Hillman has significant recent experience at this level making its third-straight Regional appearance and after reaching the Quarterfinals a year ago. The Tigers remain undefeated this calendar year, while Bellaire has been close winning 16 of its last 18 with the lone losses during that time by a combined three points both to Mancelona. On the other side are a pair of teams familiar with each other, as Glen Lake was second in the Northwest Conference and Buckley finished fourth. The Lakers won their matchups 55-36 and 68-48.
Petersburg Summerfield
Brighton Livingston Christian (18-5) vs. Detroit Douglass (19-5)
Britton Deerfield (18-6) vs. Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (20-4)
Douglass won the Detroit Public School League Gold on the way to its third District title over the last four seasons, and the Hurricanes have won 12 of their last 13 games with all of their defeats this season to Division 1 or 2 opponents. Livingston Christian has plenty to be glad about as well enjoying its first winning season since 2019-20 and with eight wins over its last nine games. On the other side are a pair coming off major District Final accomplishments. Deerfield was fourth in the Tri-County Conference but defeated league champion Adrian Lenawee Christian 63-59 after losing their matchup a month earlier by 50. Inter-City Baptist has won seven in a row and downed Taylor Trillium (22-2) in their District Final, 60-49.
Sault Ste. Marie (Regional Final only)
Munising (19-4) vs. Rudyard (18-6) at Manistique
St. Ignace (18-6) vs. Onaway (19-5) at Indian River Inland Lakes
The reigning Division 4 champion Mustangs have won 15 of their last 16 games with a 68-58 victory over Rudyard on Jan. 19 adding intrigue to tonight’s rematch. The Bulldogs have won 11 of 13 games since, a run that included a 73-72 victory over St. Ignace that completed a regular-season split as those two finished third and second, respectively, in the Straits Area Conference. Since navigating a rough patch of four losses over five games as January turned to February, the Saints have won six straight all by at least 20 points as they look to return to the Quarterfinals for the second-straight season. Onaway will be the first to try and stop them, entering with 10 wins over its last 11 games and the loss during that streak to Bellaire (see above).
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PHOTOS (Top) Muskegon finishes a season sweep of Mona Shores with a 61-29 Division 1 District Final win. (Middle) A pair of Holly defenders defend during their Division 1 District Semifinal win over Davison. (Top photo by Tim Reilly; middle photo by Terry Lyons.)