Sports Career of Dr. Christine Johnson

Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend

The storied sports career of Hoboken’s top educator

By Jim Hague

For the last four years, she’s been known as Dr. Christine Johnson, Hoboken’s popular, friendly, and effervescent Superintendent of Schools.

Before Johnson came to Hoboken, she spent eight years as school’s chief in Boonton and three as an administrator in Mendham.

Becoming Hoboken’s first-ever woman superintendent was a huge opportunity.

“I wanted to change the negative perception of the Hoboken school system,” Johnson said. “I want the community to trust the public school system.”

Johnson never envisioned herself as a superintendent.

“I always thought I would become a high school teacher and coach,” she said. “If I could do for others what my coaches did for me, then that would have been fine.”

Dr. Christine Johnson

Image by TBishPhoto.com

In another life, Johnson was known as Chrissy Morrison, a three-sport standout at nearby North Arlington High School: volleyball in fall, basketball in winter, and softball in spring. She earned All-Bergen County Scholastic League honors in all three sports and earned her varsity letter in the three sports all four years. She was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994, just six years after graduating.

“My goal was to be a 12-season varsity athlete,” Johnson said. “The one sport I needed work on was volleyball.”

Johnson said, “I never played volleyball in my life. In the ‘80s, there were no clubs. I knew I wanted to play, so all summer before coming to high school, I had the volleyball net up in the yard. I was practicing hitting and digging.”

Coach Cooper

“The coach Mr. [Don] Cooper was my gym teacher in fifth grade,” Johnson said. “So I knew he knew me.” Cooper became a North Arlington coaching legend, leading the Vikings to the overall NJSIAA Group I state title in 2004.

“I knew that she was a very tough kid with a tough attitude,” Cooper said. “I remember her being consistent. She was a good leader and a solid all-around player.”

Chrissy found her niche as an outside hitter, earning All-BCSL and All-Bergen County honors.

“My senior year, we had a chance to win the Bergen County Tournament,” she said. “Cooper was very methodical and strategic. He made me into a better volleyball player.”

Dr. Christine Johnson Image by TBishPhoto

Gene Pool

Chrissy came from an athletic family. Her uncle Joe Francello went to Syracuse University from North Arlington High on a track scholarship and competed in the United States Olympic Trials. Her sister Dina Morrison still holds many of North Arlington’s track records. Her brother Michael was an excellent pitcher for the Vikings.

“I think that forced me to get into sports even more,” Johnson said. “I was the little kid getting tossed around by my older siblings. I went to their practices and watched.”

Her mother, Carmela Reddiconto, 76, runs six miles a day.

When basketball season began in the winter of 1985, Chrissy had already been playing in ultracompetitive CYO basketball for neighboring Queen of Peace parish.

Basketball Brainiac

“You had to work hard to make the Queen of Peace team because most of the kids went to school there,” Johnson said.

She became so proficient that she was selected to play for the New Jersey Monarchs AAU program, coached by the late Karen Fuccello, the long-time girls’ basketball coach and athletic director at Belleville High School.

Photo Courtesy of Christine Johnson

Photo Courtesy of Christine Johnson

Photo Courtesy of Christine Johnson

Joe Spaccavento was North Arlington’s assistant coach. “She was the kind of kid who was always thinking on the court,” he said. “She wasn’t the fastest or the tallest, but she was in the right place all the time. She worked her tail off every day.”

Who’s on Second?

Softball was Chrissy’s best sport, becoming a sensational second baseman. The Vikings won two NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group I state championships and advanced twice to the Bergen County Tournament finals. It helped that Chrissy played Little League baseball with and against boys until she was 13. “Fundamentally, I learned so much more about the game,” Johnson said. “I understood the philosophy. I learned how to turn the double play. I learned how to bunt, how to hit-and-run. I wasn’t afraid to get dirty.”

She developed a close relationship with Coach John Galante. “He would always say, ‘Once you walk out onto the field, don’t let anyone beat you,’” Johnson said. “We were a small Group I school, but we competed against anyone and had a lot of success.”

Safe at Home

Chrissy teamed with shortstop Kim Wilson to form the best double play combination in Bergen County. Both players were All-Bergen County and All-BCSL honorees. “She was a good hitter, but she did what I called on her to do,” Galante said. “She bunted, moved runners over, handled the bat well. She was a very heady player. I always felt that second base was the most important position, and on defense, she never made a mistake. She was a leader, even as a freshman.” Galante just knew that Chrissy Morrison was a standout.

Eyes on the Prize

“She took all those softball lessons and turned them into life lessons,” Galante said. “You knew whatever she chose to do in life, she was going to be successful.” Chrissy had a chance to play volleyball or softball in college. But she chose basketball at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. After two years in Pennsylvania, she finished her athletic career and undergraduate education at Caldwell University. “A lot of North Arlington kids eventually went to Caldwell,” Johnson said. While at Caldwell, Johnson secured her first coaching and teaching position, at Mount St. Dominic Academy, the allgirls high school on Caldwell’s campus. Johnson became an assistant coach on the basketball team, which won the 1994 NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, and was head coach of the volleyball team, which won the 1994 NJSIAA Group I state championship, defeating long-time champion Secaucus in the finals.

Coach Chrissy

Patty Marchese Gentile, who went on to have a brilliant basketball career at St. Peter’s College and ranks among the Top 10 in all-time scoring leaders at the school, played for Chrissy on the volleyball and basketball state champ teams. “She was not much older than us,” Gentile said. “She really directed us and made us believe that we could win. She helped to keep me calm. She was a good liaison between the head coach and the players. There was a good balance between being a tough coach and being able to talk to her.” Said Johnson, “It had a huge impact on me. I always say that athletics is an extension of the classroom. I think athletes learn discipline, learn about setting and reaching goals. They learn about being passionate about education and athletics.”

On and off the Diamond

While at Caldwell, she met her husband-to-be Dean Johnson, Caldwell’s longtime softball coach, who in 2019, won the 800th game of his career. Dean Johnson is ranked among the top 20 in coaching victories among NCAA Division II softball coaches nationwide. The Johnsons have a daughter, Katelyn, 25, who played NCAA Division I softball at Central Connecticut State. She transferred to Caldwell for her final season so she could play for her father. Dr. Christine Johnson’s ascent to the role of top educator in one of the most diverse school districts in New Jersey began with athletics. “Look at our kids in Hoboken,” she said. “Some may struggle a little in the classroom, but on the athletic field or the court they excel. Athletics can be the catalyst that helps these kids get a college diploma. It’s critical for student/athletes to understand just how important an education is.” Said basketball Coach Joe Spaccavento: “It’s not a surprise to me that she became such a success. She had that special determination about her. They didn’t come any better than her. She’s rock solid.”—07030

Dr. Christine Johnson

Photo by Jim Hague