DeKalb coach to be inducted into Wrestling Hall of Fame

DeKalb County coordinator and longtime wrestling coach Keith Johnson will have his legacy cemented with an induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on May 2 at Lanier Technical College in Gainesville, Georgia.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Its goals are to preserve the sport of wrestling’s history, recognize extraordinary individual accomplishments and inspire future generations to participate in the oldest sport known to man, according to officials.

After a standout career at Virginia State University, Johnson began his coaching career in DeKalb County in 1995 at Columbia High School. Since then, he has coached and worked with other schools in DeKalb, including Clarkston and Southwest DeKalb. Johnson has coached wrestlers to 14 individual state championships—six at Columbia and eight at Southwest DeKalb—including DeKalb’s first-ever female wrestler state champion, Ayla Evans.

Over the years, Johnson has coached talented athletes including Isaiah Scott, who was an All-American and two-time state champion wrestler for Southwest DeKalb, and Detroit Lions’ cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, who was a two-time state champion and All-American during his high school career at Southwest DeKalb.

He later authored a book called The Blindside Champ chronicling how wrestling helped in overcoming adversities in his personal life.

Seven other individuals along with Johnson will be inducted as part of the 2026 class. Six of them, including Johnson, will be inducted as “Lifetime Service to Wrestling” recipients in recognition of contributing at least 20 years to wrestling as a coach, referee, or contributor.

Now as a district coordinator, Johnson states that his goal is to continue to build up the wrestling program in DeKalb to become feeder schools, from middle school to high school and from high school to the collegiate level.

He said he hopes that the one thing people can take away from his career is his passion for the game. He states that whichever sports athletes play they should play it to their best ability, never cheat the game, always believe in themselves.