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John Willie (Johnny) Peoples

There’s no evidence that a great man must be a good man. And contrary to baseball’s late, great Leo Durocher’s declaration, “Nice guys finish last,” there’s no validation that a good man can’t also be a great man. And no man proved that salient fact of life more than John Willie Peoples, aka Johnny, a good guy, who also was a great man by any standard one might use to measure greatness. In essence, Houston lost a great man, who was truly a nice guy when God called him home for his reward, after he finished his course on Oct. 3, 2004, at 78.

As expected, the celebration of this great man’s long and productive life was a Who’s Who in Black America’s sports history, insofar as the order of service included expressions from: Gene Washington, one of coach People’s first super stars that became a great professional athlete; Felix Cook, a friend, former Wiley teammate and co-laborer in the field of coaching and James “Bo” Humphrey, a coach who recognized Johnny, not only as coaches coach, but a man’s man. Carolyn Pipkin, Joseph Addison, Sharon Hopkins and Ronald Evans, also participated in the homegoing ceremony that was held at Trinity UMC, 2600 Holman Street, with Reverend Dr. Robert E. McGee officiating. Ralph Aldredge, Ph.D. Kevin Banks, Larry Baugh, Jule Berryman, Leon Carr, Carl Evans Jr., William Todd Frazier, Clarence Miller Jr., drew Jefferson, Esq., Eugene Smith, Perry Weston, London Wilson, The Houston Wiley Club, The Prairie View Interscholastic Coaches Association and Jack Yates High School Class of 1944, were honorary pallbearers for Johnny, who was born in Danville, Louisiana, on March 12, 1926 to Corene and Marshall Peoples. As a young child, John and his parents moved to Houston where he became known to some friends as "Johnny," and to others as "J.W." A pleasant-mannered, keen-witted and personable young man, Johnny, loved learning and sports. He was a product of the Houston Independent School District, graduating from Jack Yates High School in 1944. Excelling as an athlete, he lettered in three sports and was a starter or Yates' 1943 State Championship basketball team.
Also, he was an All-City and All-District halfback on Yates' 1943 football team, that won the State Championship (on penetrations), tying Wichita Falls 7-7. He earned a scholarship to Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, where he had a stellar three-sport career in football, basketball, and track. Part of his Wiley athletic exploits included setting a pole-vaulting record of 12' 10" that stood for 12-years and being named a All-American running back each of the four years that he played. One of his most memorable years was 1945, when as a sophomore, he was a member of the Wiley team that defeated Florida A&. M, 32-6, for the mythical Negro National Championship. It has been said, by many, that Johnny was one of the greatest athletes ever to attend Wiley. Johnny briefly played professional football with the San Francisco 49ers.
He later played with the Bay town Raiders, a Negro semi-pro football team. Johnny expanded his athletic prowess into other sports as well, including swimming, where he became a certified lifeguard, and golf, where his exploits at Houston-area courses are legendary. Johnny received his B.A. degree from Wiley College in 1948 and later earned his master's degree from Texas Southern University. He also did further study at the University of Southern California. His coaching career began at Bay town Carver High School, which he led to six district titles and three state championships in football, compiling a 23-game winning streak during the 1955 -56 seasons. He also was head track coach when Carver won the state championship in 1954. After Carver succumbed to integration, he worked a short stint as assistant coach at Baytown's Robert E. Lee High School.
In 1969, Johnny became head coach at Houston's Worthing High School, where his teams went on to win five district titles and five second-place finishes. While he took great pride in influencing the lives of countless young men, Johnny was exceptionally proud of having coached NFL All-Pro Gene Washington of the Minnesota Vikings and Hall of Famer Mike Singletary of the Chicago Bears. Johnny was the foremost coach in the State of Texas and raised the bar of excellence in coaching. A founding member of the Prairie View Interscholastic Coaches Association (PVICA), he spearheaded the group's effort to have a Black coach inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA). Additionally, he led the group's efforts to get PVICA historical records preserved, catalogued and integrated into the University League archives.
A 1996 PVICA Hall of Honor inductee, the group will continue Johnny's efforts to ensure that he and other deserving Black coaches from the PVICA are inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Hall of Fame. In 1982, he moved to administration in the Houston Independent School District, from which he retired in 1990 after an illustrious 40-year career, which was interrupted only by his valorous service in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. Johnny was a Christian family man, and community and civic leader holding professional membership in various local, state, and national education and coaching associations. He was a charter member of the Texas African American Coaches Association and founding member of the Wiley College Golf Tournament, held annually during the school's Founders' Day weekend.
A faithful member of the Trinity UMC, he served as collection steward, a member of the Usher Board and member of the Board of Trustees. His love for Wiley College inspired him to serve as President of the Houston Wiley Club, which, under his leadership and with the support of Houston-area alumni and friends. led all alumni clubs in annual giving. Johnny is survived by his mother, Corene Peoples McElroy; his wife of 48 years Audrey Miller Peoples; a daughter, Lisa Peoples, of Washington, D.C.; a son, Kruger Peoples, D.D.S., and his wife, Daphne Brazile Peoples, M.D., of Houston; three grandchildren, Kole, Bianca, Kalyn; and a host of relatives and friends.