From the Bench: Telling the Story of the Story Teller in Recalling the Professional Life of Chris Johnson
By Jeff Toquinto on October 05, 2025 from Sports Blog
Chris Johnson was a storyteller. He was an exceptionally good storyteller.
It was, for most of his adult life, his profession. And for most of the time while in the business of storytelling, Chris Johnson told you about sports.
Whether it was a game recap, a game preview, a profile on a student athlete, a tribute to someone sick, recovering from an injury, or someone who had passed away, he knew how to tell a story.
Today, I am going to try and tell the story of Chris Johnson the writer through my eyes. As most of you know, Chris passed away Monday. He was 52. Far too young, and with a lot of ink – or whatever synonym there is for punching the keyboard – to tell more stories.
I met Chris many years ago. It was early in his time with The Exponent Telegram where he would eventually serve as sports editor. I watched as he and Greg Carey turned the local sports pages into arguably the best in the state with a very heavy emphasis on local athletes.
Although our early conversations were casual, we eventually found out we had a common interest – professional wrestling. Although he would readily admit he was still a hardcore fan many years after I became a casual observer, I figured how could a guy that writes so well, seems genuinely nice, and likes pro wrestling not be a good guy.
As it turns out, I was wrong. Chris Johnson, as I would learn, was a great guy and about as decent a human being as I have ever known. In those early years, I never figured I would be working with him, but it would happen in late 2019, and I had his friend and former co-worker Greg Carey to thank for having an office right next door to Chris for more than five years.
Carey, who had moved on to MetroNews, and I were talking, and I had mentioned to him about an opening we were trying to fill. He mentioned Chris. Had he not mentioned it, I would not have considered it.
Not because he could not do the job, but because I knew he had gotten out of the journalism business to have some evenings and weekends free to spend time with family. In the journalism world, and particularly the sports journalism world, evenings are late, and weekends are just another day to clock in.
Greg checked. Chris was interested. I brought his name up to Cassie Busdeker with my seal of approval that was eagerly matched by co-worker Julie Perine. Julie had worked for years with Chris at The Exponent Telegram and had nothing but good things to say about Chris. Cassie instantly liked him, pretty much like everyone else.
After a few sit-down sessions, a little back and forth, and probably a few phone calls as well, Chris Johnson became a co-worker. In short 
order he would slide into our small family at the CVB and Connect and become our dear friend.
order he would slide into our small family at the CVB and Connect and become our dear friend.
Chris did not disappoint in showing his ability when covering news or doing features a bit out of his wheelhouse. But, when he was in his wheelhouse of sports, he thrived. The public got to see everything he did that came up on our Web site.
I got to see what no one else saw. I saw hours, and I mean countless hours, working for recognition of student athletes as a member of the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. He was chair for the all-state football and girls basketball selection committees. He also had a 13-year run as all-state chair in boys basketball until 2019.
As for the other sports, he was at the meetings where votes took place. He made sure our area – not just Bridgeport – was represented.
Sounds simple? It was not.
Try getting ballots from more than 100 coaches. Try getting ballots from dozens of sports writers statewide. Chris worked the phones like an agent trying to lure his client into a big contract. What he was actually doing was making sure every kid could be represented.
It was, outside of those who knew, a thankless task. Most who won awards and earned all-state may have had some idea who voted for them but likely had no idea who made sure it was as fair as possible to get there. Chris had no issue with being in the background.
If there was someone upset with the all-state teams, Chris would often take the phone calls, (even in sports where he was not the chair) including more than once in those many years from either a coach that did not submit a ballot or from a parent who had no idea that their coach did not submit a ballot. And he was always diplomatic, never revealing who did or did not vote, and in a stroke of diplomacy, usually hung up on respectable, if not great, terms.
Let me assure everyone reading this, he was your advocate. If you deserved to be all-state, deserved to be a statewide award winner in a 
sport, Johnson had your back. The best part? He would not push someone for an honor if support were not there from the coaches and writers and he had thoughts that aligned.
sport, Johnson had your back. The best part? He would not push someone for an honor if support were not there from the coaches and writers and he had thoughts that aligned.
But the thing that is mind numbing for hundreds and hundreds of hours of work to recognize high school student athletes he always put in? He received not one dime. Those involved on the WVSWA’s committees are volunteering work for the betterment of others, and Chris, like his colleagues, did not want a pat on the back – just part of a day’s work in his mind. His only skin in the game was that he cared about what he did and those it impacted, which were the students.
Chris Johnson gave his all to everything he cared about. Professional wrestling? Yes. Classic movies and pop culture? Yes. Sports memorabilia, autographs, and the Orioles? Yes. Anything to do with Christmas? Yes. Old music, local music, and groups I have never heard of? Yes.
His family? YES.
The upper case YES is not an accident. As dedicated as he was to his profession, it was dwarfed by his love for family.
His father Huey was a veteran. Chris talked often about his dad’s military days, how proud he was of him, and told me with his ever-present smile about taking his dad on the Honor Flight out of Bridgeport when we were doing on a story on the next one.
As for mom, Nancy Johnson is either one of the greatest cooks on the planet or Chris was as good at fiction as he was at the truth. His social media meme countdowns of his mom’s upcoming Thanksgiving dinner were wonderful.
Still, I saw the true love he had when he re-arranged everything at a moment’s notice to make sure his parents got to a doctor’s appointment. He would do what was needed if a surgical situation were at hand. He was there, and happy to be there.
The real treat, however, was watching Chris talk about his wife Theresa and his daughter Gwendolyn – with a close nod to his dog Oliver 
and his cat Briscoe. It was humbling to see him interact with them with such a prominent level of unconditional love and, like with his parents, he dropped everything when they needed him.
and his cat Briscoe. It was humbling to see him interact with them with such a prominent level of unconditional love and, like with his parents, he dropped everything when they needed him.
How he met his wife through their love of L.A. Guns (that’s a rock band just in case you don't know) is a story fitting for a movie. And how they lived their life from that point forward is a story fit for an Oscar-worthy sequel.
Gwen was his travel partner, or, and this was his regular quote, his “tag team partner.” They hit the pro wrestling circuit, Comic cons, and even went on cruises together. Oh, those cruises were pro wrestler Chris Jericho’s “Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea.”
I could not wait for his social media posts and then follow-up conversations upon his return to work from any family adventure. There was always a great tale or two about who he saw, met, or talked to with Gwen and Theresa by his side. He was as good at telling stories verbally as he was at it in the written form.
Something tells me, though, he would not understand all the fuss at his passing. So many tributes, so many people, so much sadness because that person, Chris Johnson, did not just tell stories. He told their stories.
Understand, those stories he told will live on for generations. Parents see them as treasures, the athletes see them as a trophy, and those that follow will see them as heirlooms.
Because of that Chris Johnson’s own personal story does not end. It continues in the legacy that hangs on refrigerators, in frames, in scrapbooks, and in one’s mind. All of it arrived at those destinations handled with care.
Chris Johnson’s life is one filled with care, love, and decency. It is a story worth telling.
Rest in peace my friend. Your work here is done.
Editor's Note: Photo above the text, by Ben Queen of Ben Queen Photography, shows Chris Johnson in his element showing joy at the success of the athletes he covered. Top photo shows Chris Johnson at last year's Victory Awards banquet presenting honors to the state's top student athletes. In the second photo, he is shown with his work family at a Christmas lunch - from left, Julie Perine, Cassie Busdeker, Chris, Joe LaRocca, and Jeff Toquinto. In the third photo, from 2009, Chris and his wife Theresa get a shot with L.A. Guns backstage. In the fourth photo, Chris and Gwen are shown with women's wrestling champion Becky Lynch. In the fifth photo, he poses with his idol Cal Ripken Jr. of the Orioles and that is followed by his dog Oliver and cat Briscoe. Chris may not have wanted this blog, but he would have wanted a photo of his dog and cat if it was going to run. Photo below this editor's note, by Joe LaRocca, shows Chris interviewing long-time BHS Swim Coach Jan Grisso.
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