Matthew Johnson joined the Butler Athletics staff as Men’s Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach in July of 2018.
In this position, Johnson serves as a member of the men’s basketball staff and oversees the program’s strength and conditioning, while also assisting with rehabilitation of injured student-athletes and working with university partners on nutrition and supplement education.
While at Butler, Johnson has helped the men's basketball program to one NCAA Tournament and one NIT berth. In addition, the 2019-20 Bulldogs finished the season 22-9 and ranked in the Top 25 of both national polls. The Bulldogs were included in every 2020 NCAA Tournament projection before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the remainder of the season. Butler climbed to No. 5 in both national polls earlier in the season, the highest in-season ranking in program history.
“Our program takes great pride in the development of our student-athletes, and the addition of Matthew to our staff reinforces that commitment,” said Butler men’s basketball coach LaVall Jordan at the time of Johnson's hiring. “He brings strong experience and innovative ideas into our program, and the opportunity to have him focused each and every day on our men’s basketball student-athletes will provide significant impact.”
Prior to arriving at Butler, Johnson served as the Director of Strength and Conditioning at George Washington University from 2013-18.
At George Washington, Johnson supervised a six-person staff that worked to maximize the performance of student-athletes from all 27 varsity athletics programs. In addition to designing and implementing strength and conditioning programs, Johnson also created nutrition initiatives for GW student-athletes and introduced high-performance technology into the program.
During his time at GW, the men’s basketball program captured the 2016 NIT Championship, while also making the 2014 NCAA Tournament and winning the 2014 Diamondhead Classic.
Prior to joining the GW staff, Johnson served as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Montrose Christian School's nationally prominent basketball program from 2010-2013.
While possessing a varied background, Johnson has carved his niche in basketball, a sport he played as an undergraduate at NCAA Division III Marywood University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2007.
He went on to complete his master's degree in kinesiology at Bridgewater (Mass.) State College in 2009 before working with the basketball, hockey and lacrosse programs at Boston College and Bryant University.
Johnson holds numerous gold standard strength and conditioning certifications such as the NSCA CSCS, NSCA CPT, USA Weightlifting Club Coach, USA Track and Field Level 1, and NASM PES.
Johnson and his wife, Katie, have a son, Beau.
