 Johnson in 2014 | |||||||||||||
| No. 37 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1938-03-31)March 31, 1938 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | May 8, 2024(2024-05-08) (aged 86) San Francisco Bay Area, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Kingsburg (Kingsburg, California) | ||||||||||||
| College |
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| NFL draft | 1961: 1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1961: 4th round, 32nd overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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James Earl Johnson (March 31, 1938 – May 8, 2024) was an American professionalfootballcornerback who played for theSan Francisco 49ers of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1961 to 1976. He was named to the first-team on theNFL 1970s All-Decade Team, and in 1994, he was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame.
Johnson was born inDallas and raised inKingsburg, California. He was the younger brother ofRafer Johnson, winner of thedecathlon gold medal at the1960 Summer Olympics. Johnson playedcollege football for theUCLA Bruins and was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the1961 NFL draft.
Johnson was selected by San Francisco with the sixth overall pick in the1961 NFL draft. He was selected four times as a first-teamAll-Pro and played in fivePro Bowls. His jersey (No. 37) wasretired by the 49ers in 1977.
Johnson was born on March 31, 1938, inDallas.[1] His family moved to central California when Johnson was a boy. He attendedKingsburg High School inKingsburg inFresno County.[2][3]
Johnson's older brotherRafer preceded him as a multi-sport star at Kingsburg High School and UCLA, ultimately winning the gold medal in thedecathlon at the1960 Summer Olympics.[2][3]
Johnson first attended theSanta Monica College, playing for theSanta Monica Corsairs football team in 1957 and 1958.[4] He then transferred to theUniversity of California, Los Angeles and played for theUCLA Bruins football team as awingback andcornerback.[5] He totaled 812 yards from scrimmage in 1959 and 1960.[6] Johnson also competed in track at UCLA, he won the NCAA110-meter hurdles championship and was named an All-American in track and field.[2]
While a student at UCLA, Johnson joined Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, where he is recognized as a prominent alumni brother.[7]
Johnson was selected by theSan Francisco 49ers in the first round with the sixth overall pick of the1961 NFL draft, and by theSan Diego Chargers in the fourth round with the 32nd overall pick of the1961 AFL draft.[1] He signed with the 49ers in June 1961.[8] As a rookie, Johnson appeared in 12 games for the1961 49ers, played at the cornerback position, and intercepted five passes for a career-high 116 return yards. He became aflanker in 1962 and caught 34 passes for 626 yards and four touchdowns. His most productive game as a flanker came against theDetroit Lions, in which he caught 11 passes for 181 yards. Earlier that season, he caught a game-winning 80-yard touchdown reception against theChicago Bears, which at the time was the longest scoring pass in 49ers history.[9] Johnson returned to defense in 1963 and played principally at cornerback for the rest of his career. He remained with the 49ers for 16 years through the 1976 season, appearing in 213 NFL games.[1]
During his 16 years in the NFL, Johnson intercepted 47 passes for 615 return yards and two touchdowns in his NFL career. He was selected four times as a first-team All-Pro: 1969 (AP, UPI), 1970 (AP, NEA, Pro Football Writers, Pro Football Weekly), 1971 (AP, NEA, Pro Football Writers, Pro Football Weekly), and 1972 (AP, NEA, Pro Football Writers, Pro Football Weekly). He was also selected to play in five Pro Bowls (1969–1972,1974).[1] According to his biography at thePro Football Hall of Fame, Johnson is regarded as "one of the best man-to-man defenders in history."[5]
Johnson died on May 8, 2024, aged 86, inCalifornia'sSan Francisco Bay Area.[10][11]
Johnson received numerous honors for his football career, including the following: