ATLANTA — The Atlanta community is hurting after a beloved basketball coach died trying to save several children who were swept up in a strong Florida current.
Coach Charles "Chuck" Johnson died while trying to save Maynard Jackson High junior, Bryce Brooks, 16. The teen jumped into the ocean to save four children pulled in by the currents.
Both did not survive.
It happened at a beach in Escambia County, Florida, near Pensacola. The area is in Florida's panhandle bordering the Alabama state line.
Brooks' family said their son called for help and that's when Coach Chuck and another family friend jumped in to try and save the group. The currents were too strong and took the beloved coach under.
Coach Chuck was a basketball coach with Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Kids, a non-profit organization that focuses on preventing childhood obesity.
Jabari King, the founder of HLHK, knew Johnson for 40 years. He said they grew up together in Decatur. He said Johnson was always willing to help and bring out the best in people.
"He was the heart of the basketball program. He coached the 20/26 team. And the boys really respected him," King said.
King said the kids Johnson coached broke down crying when they heard the news of his passing.
"I got the phone call and said he had drowned. And I knew that he was down in Florida. That's the reason why he wasn't at practice with us because he's normally with us, at that time of night—and just disbelief," King said. "I wanted to make sure that it was not... I wanted it to be somebody else and not him."
Desmond Stegall, the head baseball coach at Maynard Jackson High School, said the late coach was also a supporter of the Jaguars baseball team.
Stegall told 11Alive he was shocked to hear about Coach Chuck's death. He said he couldn't stop thinking about Coach Chuck's family, and the three children he leaves behind.
"When I heard how it happened, I was like, 'Yea, that's Chuck,'" Stegall continues, "It was just so unexpected--my heart. When I heard how it happened as a rescue trying to save some kids, I wouldn't expect Chuck not to try to help."
The two first met in a leadership program where Stegall coached Johnson's son outside of Maynard Jackson High School. That's where Stegall and his family developed a close relationship with the Johnsons.
Stegall said that he was more than a coach to him.
"He was one of those friends that you could you could always count on to be there for you," he said.
Coach Chuck even pushed Stegall to make a bigger impact on students, which he said is how he ended up being the head coach at Maynard Jackson High School.
"He always supported decisions that I made. He learned how to let his kids be coached," he added.
Stegall said Coach Chuck was known for his energy and his smile. He also added that the coach inspired many kids he mentored and helped over the years.
"It's just his energy-- the light that he signed on athletics no matter if you knew him or not. His smile would light up the entire gym if he could. He was always helpful. He's going to be missed," he added.
A candlelight vigil will be held to honor Coach Chuck at the First Iconium Church, in Atlanta, which has a basketball gym on Moreland Avenue.
"I want his legacy to stand out that he was there for everybody and wanting the best for everybody until his last breath," King added.