Honey Johnson was a coaching legend in the Elizabeth City area for many years. A graduate of Elizabeth City High, Johnson went on to N.C. State University, graduating in 1935. He captained the N.C. State baseball team his senior year and was named its most valuable player. Johnson then began his coaching career in the fall of ’35 by guiding Littleton High School to a 10-0 football season in his one season there. After four years as an assistant coach at Goldsboro, he returned home to begin a 40-year stint with Elizabeth City High and later Northeastern. He served as athletic director for some 30 years and was a successful head coach in football and baseball. His football teams in Elizabeth City posted an overall record of 124-48-10 from 1946 through 1963, winning several conference championships. His squad won the NCHSAA 2-A football crown in 1946 and the 3-A title in 1957. He also served as president of the North Carolina Coaches Association and was chosen to coach in both the Shrine Bowl and the East-West all-star game in Greensboro.