Everyone walks by him; everyone greets him; everyone knows him. But do they really know him? For the most part, no. Affectionately known as DJ, Don Johnson’s, the security guard at LHS, life is full of twists and turns—some heartwarming, some heartbreaking. But, the most important thing about his life is that it shaped him into the person he is today: the man who sits at the security desk and gives everyone who enters a warm smile.
Early Life
DJ grew up in the Evanston suburbs and went to Evanston Township High School.
“One of the best things about the community was its diversity and the size of the school. There was always something you could get involved in,” he said.
Like many students, DJ got heavily involved in sports. From hockey to football to track, he was a star player.
“I was one of the top athletes in the school,” he said. “I played football, hockey, ran track and even made the basketball team.”
He was so caught up with his sports that eventually he had to quit a significant portion of them due to conflicting schedules. What is true, though, is that DJ was extremely hardworking and dedicated to every part of his life.
“I’d leave Evanston, sleep in the car, change clothes, and go play junior hockey in Lake Forest,” he said.
College
As his high school years began to come to an end, DJ started to shift his thoughts toward his future—specifically, college.
In his junior year of high school, DJ was offered a football scholarship from Northwestern University, which he happily accepted.
“I originally thought I’d study economics—until statistics humbled me,” he said. “Switching to journalism was the best decision I made.”
DJ began to study at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, a school ranked 2nd in the country for journalism.
“Medill doesn’t mess around. [If] You’re on probation, you either keep the GPA or you’re out,” he said.
DJ took all of those skills that he had practiced in high school and used them for his collegiate schooling; eventually, he was able to graduate with a master’s degree.
“Earning my master’s degree in journalism was my greatest accomplishment,” DJ said. “Even more than playing Big Ten football.”
Career
After graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, DJ decided to continue his journalism career. His first job was a Production Assistant at WFLD Fox 32, Chicago. There, he worked behind the scenes with other major sports broadcasters and even got to cover Michael Jordan’s Wheeties box event.
“[Michael Jordan] walks in and looks at Johnny Morris [famous sportscaster] and says, ‘Are you ready to go?’ Johnny Morris turns, points to me and goes, ‘No, he was here first. Let him go.’ So I was the first one to do the interviews with Jordan.”
After his first job, he auditioned for ESPN and moved to South Carolina to become the first host of an ESPN national show covering Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) football. As a host, he had to write a 30 minute weekly national program, covering around 40 HBCU teams.
“Working at ESPN was the most challenging job I’ve ever had,” DJ said. “Hosting a national show meant writing a term paper every day.”
After ESPN, he transferred from job to job, including CBS in North Carolina, Fox Sports Net and Comcast Sports. In his journey, he gained once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such as covering Walter Payton’s Hall of Fame induction and also covering the Greensboro Sit-Ins Anniversary, interviewing original participants.
Eventually, DJ decided to settle down in the Chicago suburban area, finally arriving at Libertyville High School, where he ran the media department (now Wildcat Productions) and coached football.
DJ has had an amazing and successful life, and going from an athlete to a national broadcaster has taught him a lot of life lessons that most people will never even get close to experiencing.
“A few bumps in the road usually mean you’re doing something worthwhile,” he said.
