Skip Johnson nearly turned down Augie Garrido.
When Johnson got into the elevator at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for a meeting with then-Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds, he had already told his wife he was going to turn down the job as Garrido's pitching coach and return to his job as the coach at Navarro College.
As “The Eyes of Texas” started playing in the elevator, Johnson had an epiphany.
“If I don't do this, I'll never get this opportunity again,” Johnson thought.
That was in 2006.
Now, nearly 12 years later, Johnson is in his first Big 12 Tournament as a head coach, leading Texas' biggest rivals and working to carry on Augie Garrido's sizable legacy.