Augusta University, formerly Georgia Regents University, plans to raise money for a scholarship named for Shannon Johnson, a victim of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., and former Augusta College baseball player.
The university’s Jaguar baseball team will also wear an honorary decal on their batting helmets for the 2016 season in Johnson’s honor.
Johnson, who played baseball for Augusta College in the early 1990s, was one of 14 people killed in a mass shooting Dec. 2 in San Bernardino while attending a Christmas party. While hiding under a table, Johnson shielded a fellow employee, telling her “I got you.” Johnson’s actions and final statement have made him a national hero.
The Augusta University baseball team’s decal will feature the American flag, Johnson’s initials and the three-word quote.
“Shannon Johnson is a true American hero, but he’s also part of Jaguar Nation,” Jason Eller, Augusta University baseball head coach said. “Although his time with us was short, our memory of him should live on. We want our students, athletes and community to remember not only what he did but who he was. Shannon is one of us. Once a Jaguar, always a Jaguar.”
A funeral was held Saturday in Jesup, Ga. for Johnson, 45, who lived in Los Angeles and grew up in Georgia.
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