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| No. 35 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1929-11-24)November 24, 1929 Waterproof, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | June 3, 2011(2011-06-03) (aged 81) Tracy, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Pittsburg(Pittsburg, California) | ||||||||
| College | Saint Mary's Arizona State | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1953: 2nd round, 18th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career professional statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
John Henry Johnson (November 24, 1929 – June 3, 2011) was an American professionalfootball player who was afullback. His first stint was in Canada in theWestern Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU, a forerunner league to today'sCanadian Football League) for one season with theCalgary Stampeders. He then played in theNational Football League (NFL) for theSan Francisco 49ers,Detroit Lions, andPittsburgh Steelers before spending his final season in theAmerican Football League (AFL) with theHouston Oilers. Commonly referred to as simply John Henry, an allusion to thefolk hero of the same name,[1] Johnson was a tough and tenacious player who performed at a high level well into the tail end of his career.
After playingcollege football for theSt. Mary's Gaels andArizona State Sun Devils, Johnson was selected in thesecond round of the1953 NFL draft by the Steelers, the 18th overall pick. He instead played one season ofCanadian football for the Stampeders, in which he won theJeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as the league'smost valuable player. He then signed with the 49ers, and played lefthalfback in San Francisco's famed "Million Dollar Backfield". He was traded to Detroit in1957, and became the team's leading rusher en route to that year'sNFL championship, their most recent.
His abilities seemingly in decline, Johnson was traded to Pittsburgh in1960, where he had the most productive years of his career, recording two 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He is the second oldest player to record a 1,000-yard rushing season (behind onlyJohn Riggins), having achieved that mark for the final time on December 6, 1964, at the age of 35 years 12 days. He is the oldest player to rush for 200 or more yards in a game. A four-timePro Bowl selection, Johnson ranked third on the NFL's all-time rushing yards list when he retired, but was best remembered by his peers for the mark he left with his blocking. He was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Johnson was born in northeasternLouisiana, atWaterproof in southernTensas Parish. He played high school football in northern California atPittsburg High School.
He playedcollege football atSaint Mary's College of California inMoraga before transferring toArizona State College inTempe.[2][3] While at Saint Mary's, sportswriters deemed Johnson "one of the fleetest and finest players on thePacific Coast."[4] The school dropped its football program after the1950season.[5][6]
As a senior at Arizona State in1952, he played lefthalfback and was recognized as one of the roughest and hardest runners in the country,[7] and as one of the top defensive players as asafety.[8] He also excelled as apunt returner, and had a two-game stretch in which he returned four punts for touchdowns.[9] Johnson's running abilities made him a standout pro football prospect.
Selected in thesecond round of the1953 NFL draft by thePittsburgh Steelers,[10] Johnson instead played one season in Canada with theCalgary Stampeders of theWestern Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) in1953.[2] Johnson reasoned that Calgary had offered more money, but Steelers ownerArt Rooney speculated that Johnson thought it was too cold in Pittsburgh. "He must have thought he was going to some resort up there," joked Rooney.[1] He led the Stampeders in rushing that season with 107 carries for 648 yards, an average of six yards per carry with five touchdowns. In addition, Johnson caught 33 passes for 365 yards and three more touchdowns, returned 47 punts for 386 yards, and had a 104-yard kickoff return touchdown. He also starred on defense and intercepted five passes.[11] He was awarded theJeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player.[2] Johnson was also a leading WIFU All-Star vote receiver, but because he played both offense and defense so well voters split their votes and he was left off the team's "roster".[12]
Johnson was signed by theSan Francisco 49ers in1954 as a halfback, where he joinedHugh McElhenny,Y. A. Tittle, andJoe Perry to form the 49ers' famed "Million Dollar Backfield". That year, the 49ers shattered the team record for rushing yards in a season.[13] Johnson finished second in the league in rushing with 681 yards,[14][15] behind only Perry,[16] who picked up the majority of his 1,049 yards behind blocking from Johnson. Johnson scored nine touchdowns, which were the most for a season in his career. He was invited to his firstPro Bowl following the season, joining Tittle and Perry.[17] Johnson earned second-teamAll-Pro honors fromUnited Press International (UPI) and theNew York Daily News.[18]
For the remainder of his time in San Francisco, Johnson was unable to replicate the success of his rookie year, as his production dropped significantly in the following two seasons. He played in seven games in1955 before injuring his shoulder against theLos Angeles Rams,[19] and finished the year with only 19 carries for 69 yards and one touchdown. He was traded to theDetroit Lions following the1956 season in exchange for fullbackBill Bowman and defensive backBill Stits.[20]
Lions head coachBuddy Parker saw Johnson's value as a blocker and moved him to fullback.[20] In his first season with Detroit in1957, he led the team in rushing, carrying for 621 yards and five touchdowns.[21] In the1957 NFL Championship Game, which was won by the Lions 59–14 over theCleveland Browns, Johnson carried seven times for 34 yards, caught a 16-yard pass, and recovered a fumble on defense.[22] Going into the1958 season, the Lions looked to continue their success, and Johnson was expected to be the team's primary ball carrier.[23] However, Johnson missed several games due to injuries, and the Lions finished with a 4–7–1 record and one of the league's worst rushing offenses.[24]
In1959, Johnson was suspended indefinitely by the Lions after he missed the team plane back to Detroit following a one-sided 33–7 loss to the 49ers on November 1 in which he carried the ball five times for only eight yards.[25][26] To that point, the Lions had a 1–5 record, and coachGeorge Wilson used Johnson's suspension as an opportunity to call out the team for its lack of "desire."[27] Johnson was ultimately fined $1,000. Wilson took the brunt of the blame for Detroit's struggles in 1958 and 1959, but he questioned the resolve of some of the team's higher-paid players, including Johnson.[28] Following the season, Johnson was traded to thePittsburgh Steelers for two draft picks. "That's all we could get for him," explained Wilson.[29]
The Steelers finally acquired Johnson in1960, after having lost him to the CFL when they drafted him eight years prior.[10] His career rejuvenated, he had his most productive years as a pro while in Pittsburgh.[30] In his first season with the team, he rushed for 621 yards with a 5.3 yards-per-carry average, which included a career-high 87-yard score against thePhiladelphia Eagles. He became the first Steelers player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season when he did so in1962, and he repeated the feat in1964.[21] He made three straight Pro Bowl appearances, and was a second-team All-Pro selection by the AP, UPI, andNewspaper Enterprise Association in 1962.[31] He became the oldest player in NFL history to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a season, finishing with 1,048 in 1964, but was later eclipsed byJohn Riggins.[32] Johnson was 35 years, 12 days old when he passed the 1,000 yard mark on December 6, 1964. When Riggins accomplished the feat in 1984, he was 89 days older. In a game during the 1964 season against theCleveland Browns, Johnson, then at age 34, carried 30 times for 200 yards and scored three touchdowns, out-dueling the greatJim Brown.[33] It was only the ninth 200-yard rushing game in NFL history to that point, and the performance made him the oldest player to reach that mark, a record he still holds.[34] Johnson's effort impressed Steelers presidentDan Rooney, who remarked that "he got almost all the yardage by himself."[33] Age and injuries caught up to Johnson in1965, as he was limited to just three carries for 11 yards.[33]
After playing out his option with the Steelers, in July 1966 Johnson signed as afree agent with theHouston Oilers of theAmerican Football League. He joined the Oilers with the hope of helping the team win anAFL championship.[35] However, the team finished the season last in theEastern Division with a record of 3–11. Johnson retired after the season at the age of 37. He completed his NFL career having carried 1,571 times for 6,803 yards and 48 touchdowns, and picked up 1,478 yards on 186 pass receptions for seven receiving touchdowns.
Equally proficient as both a blocker and runner, Johnson was described as "the perfect NFL fullback".[36] A talented runner, he ran with power both inside and outside thetackles, and he was as fast as McElhenny and Perry.[37] Jim Brown called Johnson the greatest running back he had ever seen.[36] He was also a very skilledsafety andlinebacker on defense.[1][38][39] During apreseason game in 1955, Johnson hitChicago Cardinals halfbackCharley Trippi so hard that he fractured Trippi's face in multiple places, leaving him with a smashed nose and concussion and all but ended his career.[40][41] "Football was like a combat zone," said Johnson. "I was always told that you carry the impact to the opponent. If you wait for it, the impact will be on you."[40]
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Johnson's game was his blocking abilities, for which he received heavy praise.[1] He took pride in it, saying "It gave me a chance to hit all those people who hit me all the time."[42] QuarterbackBobby Layne, a teammate of Johnson with both the Lions and Steelers, listed Johnson as one of the one of "Pro Football's 11 Meanest Men" in an article forSPORT magazine in 1964. "By 'mean,' I mean vicious, unmanageable, consistently tough," said Layne. "I don't mean dirty."[43] Layne also called Johnson his "bodyguard," saying "Half the good runners will get a passer killed if you keep them around long enough. But a quarterback hits the jackpot when he gets a combination runner-blocker like Johnson."[21]
Upon his retirement, Johnson was ranked fourth on pro football's all-time rushing yards list, behind Jim Brown,Jim Taylor, and his fellow Million Dollar Backfield teammate Perry. As of 2024, he is fifth on the Steelers franchise all-time rushing yards list, behindFranco Harris,Jerome Bettis,Willie Parker, andLe'Veon Bell. In 1987, he was selected to thePro Football Hall of Fame,[44] and chose Steelers ownerArt Rooney as his presenter.[45] Many of his contemporaries felt his induction was belated;[42][1] he had been eligible for induction for the past fifteen years.[46] The 49ers' "Million Dollar Backfield" is currently the onlyfull-house backfield to have all four of its members enshrined in the Hall of Fame.[47] Johnson is a member of thePittsburgh Steelers Legends team, which honors the franchise's best players pre-1970.[48] He was a charter inductee to theSan Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame in 2009.[49]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| WonNFL Championship | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | FR | ||
| 1954 | SF | 12 | 11 | 129 | 681 | 5.3 | 56.8 | 38 | 9 | 28 | 183 | 6.5 | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1955 | SF | 7 | 3 | 19 | 69 | 3.6 | 9.9 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | SF | 12 | 6 | 80 | 301 | 3.8 | 25.1 | 54 | 2 | 8 | 90 | 11.3 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957 | DET | 12 | 10 | 129 | 621 | 4.8 | 51.8 | 62 | 5 | 20 | 141 | 7.1 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 1958 | DET | 9 | 8 | 56 | 254 | 4.5 | 28.2 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 60 | 8.6 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1959 | DET | 10 | 3 | 82 | 270 | 3.3 | 27.0 | 39 | 2 | 7 | 34 | 4.9 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 1960 | PIT | 12 | 10 | 118 | 621 | 5.3 | 51.8 | 87 | 2 | 12 | 112 | 9.3 | 26 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1961 | PIT | 14 | 13 | 213 | 787 | 3.7 | 56.2 | 44 | 6 | 24 | 262 | 10.9 | 51 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| 1962 | PIT | 14 | 14 | 251 | 1,141 | 4.5 | 81.5 | 40 | 7 | 32 | 226 | 7.1 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1963 | PIT | 12 | 9 | 186 | 773 | 4.2 | 64.4 | 48 | 4 | 21 | 145 | 6.9 | 26 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 1964 | PIT | 14 | 14 | 235 | 1,048 | 4.5 | 74.9 | 45 | 7 | 17 | 69 | 4.1 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1965 | PIT | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 11.0 | 7 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1966 | HOU | 14 | 3 | 70 | 226 | 3.2 | 16.1 | 33 | 3 | 8 | 150 | 18.8 | 53 | 0 | – | – |
| Career | 143 | 104 | 1,571 | 6,803 | 4.3 | 47.6 | 87 | 48 | 186 | 1,478 | 7.9 | 53 | 7 | 48 | 9 | |
In November 1955, while on the sick list for the 49ers due to a shoulder injury, Johnson carried two women to safety out of a blazing apartment building inOakland, California. One of the women was his pregnant wife, Barbara Johnson.[19] The couple divorced in 1959, and abench warrant was issued for Johnson after he fell $2,360 behind onalimony payments, concurrent with his suspension from the Lions for missing the team plane.[26][25] After retiring as a player, he worked forColumbia Gas and later forWarner Communications. He had aspirations of coaching football, but the opportunity never arose.[36]
Johnson died at age 81 in 2011 inTracy, California.[21][50] Several days later, it was announced that Johnson and his fellow Million Dollar Backfield teammate, Joe Perry, who died six weeks earlier, would have their brains examined by researchers atBoston University, who were studying head injuries in sports. Both men were suspected of havingchronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disorder linked to repeated brain trauma. According to his daughter, Johnson could not talk or swallow in the final year of his life and also used a wheelchair. She told theSan Francisco Chronicle that she hoped by donating her father's brain, it would "help with a cure."[51]
Johnson was confirmed to have Stage 4 CTE, the most severe form of the disease.[52] He was one of at least 345NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease.[53]
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