Johnson (46), a member of the Zingari-Richmond club, won the Ray Byrne Memorial Trophy for being the outstanding volunteer within Otago rugby this year.
"It is an honour, but I am embarrassed," he said.
"I enjoy being part of rugby and I volunteered just to help out.
"I get a kick out of seeing the kids I've helped achieve something in rugby."
The trophy was first awarded in 2004 and honours the work done by the many volunteers who make an important contribution to rugby in the province at all levels.
Johnson has had a long involvement with rugby as a player, coach and administrator.
He was a loose forward in the Ravensbourne team that gained promotion to premier ranks under future Otago coach and All Black assistant coach Gordon Hunter in the mid-1980s.
Johnson has been the Zingari-Richmond club's junior delegate on the Metropolitan junior committee for the past four years.
He has also been the driving force behind the revival of rugby at Kaikorai Valley College, where he is the coach of the schools under-15 team as well as a committee member.
Through his leadership he has been able to get more parents involved as part of the schools rugby club committee.
Over the past two years Johnson has coached the Metropolitan under-13 team that has won and held the Challenge Trophy, played between Dunedin Metropolitan, Southland and Otago Country under 13 teams.
He has also managed the ball boys at test matches, Super rugby and national championship games at Carisbrook over the past two years.
Johnson still plays Golden Oldies rugby for the Bammas team.
His wife, Teresa, is sports co-ordinator at Kaikorai Valley College, and daughter Renee (17) has played junior basketball for New Zealand.
Captain Alando Soakai won the award for the most valuable Otago player in the ITM Cup and Adam Hall received the award for Otago B.
The MVP for the best women player in the Otago Spirit team was Victoria Nafatali.
The Otago Colts best player was Michael Collins.
Winners of Otago representative MVP awards: ITM Cup, Alando Soakai; Otago B, Adam Hill; Otago Country, Daniel Dodds; Otago Spirit, Victoria Nafatali; Otago Sevens, Paul Grant and Karne Hesketh; Otago Colts, Tom Franklin; Otago under-19, Matt Faddes; Otago Country Colts, Hayden Tapp; Metropolitan under-18, Michael Collins; Country under 18, Nathan Huddleston; Metropolitan under 16, Tyron Pelasio; Country under 16, Josh Dickson; Secondary schoolgirls, Kristin MacDonald; Otago under 14, Jacob Hamer; Otago under 65kg, Rory Ferguson; Otago under 48kg, Georgia Mason.
