The Davenport Community School District on Thursday dedicated the Walcott K-8 School football field in honor of the late Coach Dennis Johns, recognizing his lasting impact on generations of students, athletes, families, and the Walcott community.
As part of the dedication, the district unveiled a new scoreboard honoring Coach Johns during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Sept. 10, attended by his children, Charles and Laura, who came from Chicago and Texas, respectively.
“I know for the Johns family, being from a family of coaches myself, as they look at the field, it's more than grass and goalposts and lines,” DCSD athletic director Dave Shovlain said Thursday before the ribbon-cutting on a bright sunny day. “It's memories and dedication, it's laughter and friendship, and it's countless lives that were touched by their father, their grandfather, their brothers. His passion for teaching, coaching, and believing in people is the legacy, and it's shown through the athletic field.”
He told the Johns family members:
“As families of teachers, you know this isn't a single person award. It is, but it isn't, because you guys sacrificed and allowed an excellent human being to do what he was good at,” Shovlain said. “And just take a look around at the impact. It's tremendous. So thank you for making it up from Texas, Chicago. We appreciate it, and we appreciate you giving us your father to be able to work with. The moment we've all kind of waited for.
“The memories and stories shared today are about a person that truly makes a difference. His example is to inspire us and to leave a lasting reminder,” he said. “Today we don't celebrate only a coach, but a mentor, a teacher, and a role model. His name on the field will ensure that legacy continues to inspire all those who come here to learn, compete, and grow.”
The ribbon-cutting took place prior to kick-off of the 8th-grade football game between the Walcott Panthers and Wood Vikings, and both teams attended the ceremony.
Johns’s son Charles of Palatine, Ill., attended, with his sister Laura, from League City, Texas, and her daughter Maddie.
Charles attended McKinley, Sudlow and Central High in Davenport, graduating in 1983. While at Sudlow, he played football against his dad’s Walcott team, on offensive and defensive line.
“They went off tackle against me, it seemed like, the entire game. I got beat to a pulp,” Charles recalled.
“He brought a love for seeing young people grow and do their best,” he said. “He brought that desire to help everybody reach their highest capacity. He brought to everything he did, whether it be a classroom teacher or a coach on the field. He was also involved in scouting, deeply involved in his church, always looking for ways to really raise everybody up. And as a child of his, there's high expectations but a lot of support. My sister and I were very fortunate to have 2 educators as parents. We always knew we had their support.”
Their mother Ella was a librarian at Walcott School until 1980 and passed away in 2022.
“It's really amazing so many people turned out for this event,” Charles said before the ribbon-cutting. “Our dad loved Walcott. He loved Walcott, the school, and he loved the community,” he said. “When you step back and you look at an event like this for a man who's been gone for literally decades to get this kind of support, you can see why he loved the place. You helped him be strong when he worked to inspire young people.”
He spoke of fond memories of being on this football field.
“When I was a little guy, our mom would bring us out here to watch the games that our dad was coaching. So I remember being on the sidelines seeing all the big kids,” Charles (who with his wife, Michelle, has kids ages 28, 25 and 24) said. “On the last day of school, both of our parents were teachers, our parents would bring us out here. I got to clean out the locker room and Laura got to clean out the library where our mother was the librarian. I would like to note the library was air-conditioned, the locker room was not, so it didn't seem terribly fair.
“And now I've got it even with my sister. Dad was deeply touched when my sister Laura told him the news of today's honor shortly before he passed,” Charles recalled. “Our mother too truly loved this school. She was a librarian here for about a decade. They loved this school, they loved this community, and they loved Davenport Community School District.
"They had great pride in being a part of this district. Also, they revered the profession of public education, and as such, I find it so fitting to honor in his name this field after our father.”
A lifetime of service
Dennis Johns, affectionately known by generations of students and athletes as "Coach" Johns, passed away at age 90 on April 28, 2026, in League City, Texas, following a protracted illness. A funeral service was held at First Presbyterian Church in Davenport on May 14, 2026. He had lived in Texas the last eight years of his life.
Dennis earned his teaching degree from Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) in 1960. He later completed a master’s degree at Western Illinois University.
Dennis dedicated nearly four decades to the field of education.
His career began in 1960 at Melvin Community School, where he taught and coached for two years. In 1962, he moved to Walcott, where he served as a physical education and health teacher until his retirement in 1998. "Coach" Johns was a fixture on the football field for over 35 years.
His passion for teaching extended beyond the classroom and the field; he spent an additional year as a volunteer coach after his formal retirement, unable to fully step away from the students he loved. Additionally, he coached boys and girls basketball.
Charles said he coached football 36 years, including for two years after he retired from teaching.
A pillar of the Davenport and Walcott communities, Dennis was renowned for his extensive leadership and service. He was also a devoted member of the First Presbyterian Church of Davenport, where he served as both a deacon and an elder.
His commitment to youth development was further evidenced by his roles as a leader of Boy Scout Troop 4 and a softball coach for the Dad’s Club. Professionally, he contributed his expertise to the Audit and Finance Committee for the Teachers’ Credit Union for 12 years.
Dennis also found great joy in music as a highly active member of the Davenport Chordbuster Barbershop Chorus. During his tenure, he served as both President and Treasurer, was honored as "Chordbuster of the Year," and was ultimately inducted into their Hall of Fame. He produced an annual holiday concert, showcasing area musicians, as a food drive and fundraiser.
Continuing working in education
“It shouldn't come as a surprise, but both of the children of our parents became educators,” Charles said Sept. 10. “They have a daughter-in-law that was an educator, a niece, and several grandchildren who all entered the profession of teaching. We had good role models. They would see today's honor as a way to exemplify the importance of public education.”
The naming of the field and scoreboard for his father is deeply touching, he told the crowd Thursday.
“He'd be telling stories of all the players he had. I think by doing this, the community, by offering up a teacher who was distinguished and putting his name on a field, It really says something for our profession,” Charles said.
“I believe it will show support to current educators and inspire future students to become teachers. It'll be really wonderful at some point some little guy points to the sign and says, who is this Dennis Johns? And in that moment get inspired to become a teacher someday," he said.
"So I want to thank you on behalf of my entire family for showing the leadership to support the profession and public schools. And on behalf of my family, I also want to thank you for honoring our father, our father-in-law, our uncle, grandfather, our brother-in-law, because this means so much to all of us.”
When Dennis learned he was being honored this way, shortly before his death, he was beaming with pride, Charles said Thursday.
“Talked about it so much as he talks about this school. There's players of his here and he can tell you what position they did,” he said, noting his 90-year-old dad’s mind remained sharp to the end. “He can tell you remarkable plays they had. He had a remarkable memory for the sport, for the sports he coached, for the players he had, lovely moments in the school. He really cherished this place and this almost photographic memory. He could diagram plays that some of these guys ran.”
Charles said this dedication “really does a wonderful job of honoring an educator who gave his life to helping young people grow and maximizing their potential and having a good time and learning about their own capabilities. We kind of grew up here too. We spent enough time here. It really means a lot,” he added.
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