If you could put Rick Johnson in a straitjacket and chains around his ankles, he probably would escape within a few minutes and hand them back to you.

Because he has too many things to do.

Even in retirement, he won’t allow grass to grow under his feet.

Arizona high school athletics lost a powerful proponent at the end of the last school year when Johnson stepped down as athletic director at Liberty High in Peoria, capping an extremely productive coaching and administrative career that goes back more than 40 years.

Johnson, 66, began his career as a coach in the Phoenix Union High School District in the early 1970s when then-district AD Ed Long asked him to take a position at Maryvale High in west Phoenix.

Johnson was an assistant football coach and head wrestling coach.

“It was a cool place to be. It was a growing area with a lot of good teams and athletes,’’ he said.

In the 1980s, he moved to the Deer Valley district and became football coach at Glendale Deer Valley for four years and wrestling coach. He was there six years before taking over as AD, then moved to Peoria High, where he was AD for 15 years.

He became the Peoria district AD, later helping to build the athletic programs at Sunrise Mountain and then Liberty.

“There comes a time when you need to walk away and this is it,’’ Johnson said. “I’m leaving Liberty in very good hands with David Svorinic, who is going to be a good one.’’

Johnson also has served in many capacities for the Arizona Interscholastic Association and was a member of the AIA Executive Board.

Richard Obert, my friend and former colleague at The Arizona Republic, not too long ago wrote that Johnson would be a good choice to become the AIA Executive Director if Dr. Harold Slemmer were to move on to something else.

I have no doubt that Johnson could handle that spot. He is that kind of a people person and would be able to get things done and do it the right way.

Unfortunately, that window has pretty much closed. Johnson now turns his attention to watching his six grandchildren grow up and attend their sporting events. And he plans numerous hunting trips for deer, elk, antelope, some out of state and even in Africa, and fishing trips to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. A hiking trip to Alaska beckons. And he owns a summer home in the Mormon Lake area near Flagstaff.

Johnson almost retired before moving to Liberty, but couldn’t say no to going there and enjoyed every moment of building that fine school.

“I figured why not, as long as I feel good and have good health,’’ said Johnson, an Indiana native who also has worked in North Dakota and Colorado. “I still feel good even now, had a recent checkup.’’

Students and staff at Liberty will continue to see Johnson on campus. He will continue to help develop the Peoria Student Broadcast Network on a part-time basis. He helped get the program up and running the last few years. Students from Liberty and other district schools learn the broadcast (and writing) world inside out and produce online programs, not just in sports but in the fine arts and other areas of education. The PSBN also became affiliated with AIA365.com.

Johnson helped run big wrestling tournaments with Peoria district fixture Joe Hunter as well as some of the state tournaments. He also helped former Glendale High coach Tom Dingman get the Arizona Coaches Association started and helped former Glendale High coach Vern Jacobs organize a wrestling coaches association.

“I’ve worked with a lot of great people over the years, people in Peoria, of course, the Phoenix Union district, Sister Lynn (Winsor) at Xavier and John Carlson in the Chandler district. Those are the people you don’t forget,’’ said Johnson, whose wife, Sandy, has been a long-time Valley educator.

So our hat is off to Johnson and all of the things he has done for Arizona athletics.

Keep moving, Rick. We know you will.