C.A. Johnson hires ex-Keenan football coach Logan

Former Keenan coach Demond Logan is returning to Columbia after a seven-year absence to take over as coach of C.A. Johnson.

Logan has been hired to succeed Jerry Jackson, who decided to retire after the 2014 season.

“I’ve known coach Jackson for a long time, and he’s done a great job,” Logan said. “When he mentioned that he was retiring, I thought it might be a good place for me.”

Jackson and Logan met when Logan was coaching at Keenan from 2006-08, and kept in touch as Logan’s career took him to North as head coach, and in 2011 to Orangeburg-Calhoun Preparatory School, where he spearheaded the development of the new program as athletics director and director of football operations.

That position allowed him to spend more time following his son, all-state point guard Emarius Logan, during his basketball career at White Knoll.

“It was an opportunity for me to be able to learn more about different other aspects of the game (of football), but I also appreciated that people would work with me and it gave me the time to be there for him and see him play.”

Logan said he wanted to return to coaching and, with Emarius Logan going to Appalachian State on a basketball scholarship, the time was right to get back to the sidelines, Logan said.

Jackson retired after 31 years as a coach, the final 13 at C.A. Johnson.

“It was time for me to go; I’m getting up in age and this is a young man’s job,” said Jackson, the 2009 S.C. Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year. The Hornets were 7-4 that year, 23-69 in Jackson’s nine-year tenure in charge.

“(Coach Logan) called me before he applied for the job, and I’ve been in his corner, I’ve been rooting for him,” Jackson said. “I respect coach Logan and I think he’ll do an admirable job. I think they made an excellent choice in hiring him.”

Things are going well, said Logan, who has been working with the athletes in their offseason conditioning.

“The main thing that attracted me to C.A. Johnson is that I have always known there were some strong athletes there,” Logan said. “I think the key now for us being successful is to start a middle school feeder system and a junior varsity program, to make sure that we keep the kids involved and get them excited about what we’re doing.

“We’ve had about 40 kids the past two weeks and they’re willing to work and willing to learn, so our goal is to keep them out,” he said.

Low participation has been a problem. The Green Hornets had 25 athletes at the beginning of the 2014 season.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 12:05 AM with the headline "C.A. Johnson hires ex-Keenan football coach Logan."