Brad's mom at head of class

Safety Harbor Middle School students are tickled to have QB's mother Ellen among them.

By LEON M. TUCKER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 22, 2003

SAFETY HARBOR -- Ellen Johnson has a familiar smile.

It's a toothy grin, accompanied by a slight, freckled squint, reminiscent of the one that her son, Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson, sports on good days.

All week long, Ellen Johnson, an assistant principal at Safety Harbor Middle School, has been smiling almost nonstop as she dishes out hugs to students congratulating her on her son's success.

"He's a great football player," said Chris Asoian, 12, a sixth-grader. "It's cool to have his mother at our school."

Johnson, 57, joined the faculty as an administrator in July after leaving a job as an assistant principal at her son's former high school in Black Mountain, N.C.

And Safety Harbor seems glad to have her.

"It's like someone in your family has done something really exciting and you get to share in that," principal Sally Barker said. "In addition to that, she is a terrific administrator. We really got lucky."

These days, many of the school's 1,489 students clamor to get close enough to Johnson to ask about her famous son.

"Everyone wants to know a little bit more about Brad now that he's in the Super Bowl," said Johnson, who will be attending the game courtesy of the Bucs. "And it's my pleasure to share."

For instance, she recalls how Brad would chase footballs and basketballs down the side of the mountain they lived on, the spontaneous 2 a.m. workout sessions and the trips to the Huddle House for waffles in the middle of the night.

Then there was the high school talent show act that featured the permed class president and future Pro Bowl player along with 10 girls in gowns singing Just a Bowl of Butter Beans. Johnson, dressed in a white tuxedo with a pink cummerbund and matching painted sneakers, and his backup singers came in second place.

"Brad's a quirky person," she said.

He's deep, too.

"He also used to keep a book of sayings," she said, remembering one: "Don't tell me how rough the sea is, just bring me the ship."

"He's living that," Johnson said, recalling the injuries and setbacks in his career. "Did I always know he would get into the Super Bowl? No, but I'm not surprised because he's worked hard and deserves everything he's getting."

-- Leon M. Tucker can be reached at (727) 445-4167 or tucker@sptimes.com .