Ed Johnson, longtime baseball coach at Mater Dei Catholic and ‘gentle giant,’ dies at 58

Ed Johnson, one of the longest-tenured and most respected high school baseball coaches in the county, died over the weekend. He was 58.

In 29 years at Marian Catholic High School and Mater Dei Catholic, Johnson had a career 435-438-1 record. His Marian Catholic teams played in seven CIF San Diego Section championship games, winning the Division 3 title in 1998 and 1999 and the Division 4 crown in 2000 and 2002.

Rev. Joaquin Martinez, president of the Mater Dei Catholic, wrote that Johnson’s “passion, encouragement and care touched countless lives in our community.”

Martinez said principal Aaron Gonzalez and staff members John Joyner and Jared Izidoro visited Johnson’s home Monday after not hearing from the coach over the weekend. They discovered he had passed away.

While the cause of death is not yet known, Johnson was known to have heart issues.

“Ed was so well-liked, so personable,” said Chula Vista High School coach Jim Westlund. “He got along with everyone. He was the first guy I met when I got hired at Chula Vista, and he was a loyal friend. I texted with him Friday, didn’t hear from him over the weekend, but figured he got busy. …

“This is a big loss for the South Bay and baseball in San Diego.”

Johnson played three years of varsity baseball and two years of varsity basketball at Montgomery High School. From there, he attended Southwestern College and then Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he was roommates with longtime sports broadcaster Gus Johnson.

Ed Johnson started his coaching career at Montgomery and was an assistant coach at San Diego City College for three seasons before taking the job as head baseball coach at Marian Catholic in 1996. He was also head basketball coach for three seasons and served as an assistant football coach.

Former Montgomery baseball coach Manny Hermosillo said Johnson’s death hits “very hard.”

“Ed played for me at Montgomery. He has the same birthday as my son,” Hermosillo said. “He was a good first baseman, an excellent hitter. He was a gentle giant who loved going out for tacos and a Coke after Friday night football games. … This is a great loss for the baseball community, but my guess is that he’s in heaven, hitting fungoes.”