ARLINGTON — Newton Eagles Head Football Coach W.T. Johnston delivered perhaps the most emotional and powerful postgame speech ever after his team defeated the Canadian Wildcats 21-16 on Thursday to capture their second consecutive UIL Football State Championship.
In 2015, Johnston developed chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGHVD) following a lung transplant. In GvHD, the donated bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells view the body of the transplant recipient as foreign, and the donated cells/bone marrow attack the body, according to Cleveland Clinic.
In August, Johnston, who is now outfitted with an oxygen tank, says he told his team he probably wouldn't make it through the season after doctors revealed he had about eight months to live.
However, four months have passed and Johnston has now led his team to an undefeated season and a 3A Division II state title, their fifth overall.
But it's not the plays, drills and games won that will define Johnston's legacy. It's his faith, the love he has for his student-athletes and the life lessons he provided to so many.
Grab a tissue and watch Johnston's postgame speech below:
