 Johnsonc. 1969 | |||||||||
| No. 54 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1946-08-19)August 19, 1946 (age 79) Gary, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 262 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Bradley(Cleveland, Tennessee) | ||||||||
| College | Tennessee (1965–1967) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1968: 1st round,2nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career AFL/NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Robert Douglas Johnson (born August 19, 1946) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acenter for 12 seasons with theCincinnati Bengals, first in theAmerican Football League (AFL), and then in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers. Johnson was theBengals' first-ever draft selection when he was chosen with thesecond overall pick in the1968 NFL/AFL draft.
Johnson playedcollege football at theUniversity of Tennessee, where he was the first recruit of Tennessee coachDoug Dickey. He was named bothAll-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and All-American in 1966 and again in 1967. He earned the Jacobs Trophy, given to the SEC's best blocker, and he was named the SEC's Most Outstanding Lineman by the Birmingham Touchdown Club. Johnson finished sixth in theHeisman Trophy voting as a center.[1]
Also in 1967, he was named an Academic All-American and was vice president of his class while earning a degree in industrial engineering.[1]
In 1989, he was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[2]
He was the first player chosen by the Bengals in their initial season in1968. He was the second pick overall in the draft, preceded by future Hall of FamerRon Yary.[3] He was the second highest-drafted center ever selected in an NFL Draft, afterKi Aldrich in1939.
He was anAFL All-Star in1968.[4]
Johnson was the last original Bengal to retire, after the 1978 season. His uniform number 54 was retired by the team, and remains the only number the team has retired. However, he came out of retirement in 1979 when Bengals centerBlair Bush suffered a knee injury and the Bengals asked Johnson to return as a long snapper on punts, field goals and extra points.[5]
Following his retirement as a player, Johnson worked as acolor analyst on Bengals radio from 1981 to 1985. He also worked as a color analyst on some ESPN college football broadcasts in 1979 prior to his return to the Bengals.