Johnnie Johnson (American football)

Not to be confused with Johnny Johnson (American football).
Johnnie Johnson
Date of birth (1956-10-08) October 8, 1956
Place of birth La Grange, Texas
Career information
Position(s) Cornerback
Safety
College Texas
NFL draft 1980 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17
Career history
As player
1980–1988 Los Angeles Rams
1989 Seattle Seahawks
Awards Consensus All-American (1978, 1979)
First-team All-Pro selection (1983)
Career stats

Johnnie Johnson (born October 8, 1956) is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons during the 1980s. Johnson played college football for the University of Texas, and was a two-time unanimous All-America. A first-round choice in the 1980 NFL Draft, he played professionally the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. He appeared in the 1985 team promotional video "Ram It". Johnson was elected to College Football Hall of Fame in May 2007.

College career

In his final three seasons he was a member of a team that placed among the nation's top-ten in total defense. Johnson also excelled on special teams as a punt return specialist. Many of his punt return marks still stand in the UT record books. In his freshman year, Johnson got off to a great start being named a starter in his first game, but a leg injury kept him on the sidelines for much of the year. The next year he regained his starting status on a team that went through the regular season undefeated. That year his fourth-down tackle inside the Texas five-yard line preserved a win over Oklahoma. He won the first of three All-Southwest Conference honors that year. In an era before the advent of the Thorpe Award, Johnson was named the nation’s top defensive back of 1978 by the New York Downtown Athletic Club.

Professional career

Johnson holds the Rams record for the longest interception return after scoring on a 99-yard return against the Green Bay Packers in 1980.[1]

References

  1. ↑ "Reed rumbles 108 yards for NFL record | Longest interception returns by team". Pro Football Hall of Fame. November 24, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
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