 2009 Vikings training camp | |
| No. 42, 28, 41 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1985-09-25)September 25, 1985 (age 40) San Dimas, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | La Verne (CA) Damien |
| College | Boise State |
| NFL draft | 2009: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Stats atPro Football Reference  | |
Ian Blake Johnson (born September 25, 1985)[1] is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football atBoise State.
Born in Monrovia, California, Johnson attendedDamien High School inLa Verne, where he was a two-sport star in football and track. Infootball, he was named Inland Valley Offensive Player of the Year,L.A. Times All-San Gabriel Valley first-team, San Gabriel Valley Tribune All-Area first-team, Daily Bulletin Inland Valley All-Area Team, All-Sierra League MVP, and CIF Division II first-team all-league as a senior. Johnson was also a team captain for the Spartans and set Damien High School records in career rushing yards, season rushing yards (2,009 yards) and points scored (347). He was a high school teammate ofArena Football League star,Nick Davila.
Also a standouttrack & field athlete, Johnson was an All-Sierra League and All-CIF pick while competing in the100-meter dash (11.17 s),200-meter dash (23.03 s), and4 × 100 m relay (43.38 s).
Johnson wasredshirted for the2004 season. In2005, he rushed for 1,445 yards, at that time the second-most by a freshman in Broncos history, scoring 14 touchdowns. In his illustrious career at BSU, Johnson ran for 4,158 yards and 58 touchdowns, surpassingMarshall Faulk to set a new WAC record for career rushing touchdowns.[2]
The Broncos finished the2006 regular season unbeaten (12–0) and became only the second-team from outside the BCS conferences to play in a BCS bowl game. They played in theFiesta Bowl against theOklahoma Sooners, the year'sBig 12 champion. Johnson scored the game-winningtwo-point conversion in overtime on aStatue of Liberty play to the left side. Boise State defeated Oklahoma 43–42, completing a perfect 13–0 season. Johnson rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Johnson had been considered adark horseHeisman Trophy candidate.[3] However, shortly after the announcement of his consideration for the Heisman Trophy, a collapsed lung sidelined Johnson for one game and hurt his chances of winning the Heisman. After the end of the 2006 regular season, he ledNCAA Division I-A in scoring with 24 touchdowns.[4] On December 7, 2006,Sports Illustrated named Johnson to their 2006 All-American first-team. This made Johnson the first Boise State athlete to be named to a major All-American team.[5]CBSSports.com also named him All-America in 2006. He was also named to the All-WAC team, won a Division I-A Offensive Player of the Week award, two WAC Offensive Player of the Week awards, and was a semifinalist for theDoak Walker Award. Johnson ran an official 4.58 40-yard dash at Boise State.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+1⁄4 in (1.81 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.46 s | 1.58 s | 2.60 s | 4.18 s | 6.86 s | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) | 26 reps | 26 |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Boise State'sPro Day[6][7] | ||||||||||||
Johnson ran the fastest 40-yard dash time for a running back at the 2009NFL Combine with a 4.46. He was signed as a free agent with theMinnesota Vikings.[8] In the fourth game of the preseason, Johnson ran for two touchdowns in 17 carries against theDallas Cowboys. The following season, Johnson was waived by the Vikings on September 4, 2010.[9] He was re-signed to thepractice squad two days later.[10]
TheArizona Cardinals signed Johnson to their practice squad on September 6, 2010,[11] and he was released three weeks later on September 27.[12]
TheDetroit Lions signed Johnson to their practice squad on November 17, 2010.[13] During the following season's training camp, he was released on September 3, 2011.[14]
Johnson was signed to theSan Francisco 49ers' practice squad on September 12, 2011, and later released on December 14,[15]
Johnson was signed to theMiami Dolphins' practice squad on December 29, 2011.[16]
Johnson is an insurance agent throughState Farm in Boise.[17]
In November 2010, Johnson joined Kituku and Associates in Boise as a motivational speaker and personal coach. Johnson speaks at schools, businesses, churches, and associations on turning dreams to reality, winning as a team, making the right choices, and overcoming challenges.
Johnson joined Boise radio stationKNFL "ESPN Boise 730/96.5" in February 2014.[18]
Following the2007 Fiesta Bowl, during an interview withChris Myers, Johnson proposed to his girlfriend Chrissy Popadics, Boise State's head cheerleader, onFox Sports' postgame coverage. They married on July 28, 2007. According to Johnson, he received about 30 threatening letters, which he handed over to theFBI, from people who objected to his nationally televised marriage proposal.[19] Johnson, who is black, and Popadics, who is white, hired security for their wedding due to the threats.[20]
Johnson and his wife have one daughter, Johannah.[21]
Johnson crocheted during his spare time while at Boise State, givingbeanies away to teammates after being prohibited from selling them by the NCAA.[22][23][24]
