By Mike Finn, WIN Editor

As the wrestling play-by-play announcer for the Big Ten Network, Tim Johnson got a chance to witness many great moments this past year.

            So what was Johnson’s favorite?

            “The record crowd (at the Iowa-Iowa State dual, Dec. 6 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena before 15,955 fans),” said Johnson, who spent that night sitting next to Dan Gable, providing the commentary.

            “When do I get the most excited about wrestling? It’s when the place is up for grabs. The record crowd was exciting. When you’ve got Dan Gable going nuts next to you, it’s always exciting to me. My arm gets a little tired trying to keep him in his seat sometimes.”

            Not every arena that Johnson and the BTN crew showed up at for a second consecutive year drew that many fans.

            But when fans listened to Johnson between Minneapolis and State College, Pa., they’d swear that every gymnasium was packed by the way Johnson described the action on and off the mat.

            “That fires me up and makes me even more excited,” said Johnson, a native of Morning Sun, Iowa, who later wrestled at Coe College in Cedar Rapids before eventually coaching at Mt. Vernon.

            Today, he lives in Champaign, Ill., where he serves as the regional director of the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

            “I guess it comes back to what we’ve all heard,” said Johnson. “It’s easy to compete if you have the ‘want-to.’ That goes back to passion that God has placed in my heart; a passion to excel for his glory and a great interest in wrestling,

            “I found out that I was half-way decent at it and got to stay in the sport at a variety of levels, where I still have the want-to. I was just an average wrestler and I had a lot of good kids who made me look like a good coach. But if I was gifted at anything, it’s enthusiasm.”

            That drive and enthusiasm is the biggest reason Johnson was named WIN’s Journalist of the Year for 2009.

            Johnson credits former Northern Iowa head coach Chuck Patten for bringing out his abilities.

            “Anything he recommended me for, I had never done before,” said Johnson. “I had never been a head coach before. I had never been an administrator for a national governing body and I had never done a broadcast before. He saw something in me.”

            Johnson got into broadcasting when Patten, who was commentating on wrestling for Iowa Public Television’s broadcasts, left that state in 1986.

            That is where Johnson was introduced to Doug Brooker, who currently produces and directs wrestling broadcasts for the Big Ten Network.

            Johnson said the BTN’s impact on wrestling is huge because it can be seen worldwide.

            “It’s not just a wrestling thing, but a general opportunity to come to the sports-crazy society that we are,” he said. “Because the Big Ten Network is surfed with all the other national sports stations, people will come upon wrestling, will see the Big Ten schools and will continue to watch it.”

            Johnson also continued to work with ESPN on its ever-growing coverage of the NCAA tournament. At the most recent NCAAs, the quarterfinals, semifinals, placement matches and finals were televised live on either ESPN or ESPN2.

            “I do expect ESPN’s coverage to grow because they are very happy with the interest,” Johnson said. “The producer, John Vassallo, is one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever been around. He is for wrestling and the reason and driving force behind 12 hours of live wrestling on ESPN.”

            If the Big Ten Network and ESPN are indeed motoring the current explosion of wrestling coverage, then Johnson is that pleasant hum of the engine, reminding you how great things are.