Johnson, John Henry
Football
b. Nov. 24, 1929, Waterproof, LA
After playing at St. Mary's College in California and Arizona State University, Johnson was a second-round draft choice of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers in 1953, but he chose to play for the Calgary Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and he was named the league's most valuable player as a rookie.
The Steelers traded negotiating rights to the San Francisco 49ers, who signed him for the 1954 season. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Johnson became the fullback in the "Million Dollar Backfield," with quarterback Y. A. Tittle and halfbacks Hugh McElhenny and Joe Perry. All four are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Johnson was probably the least celebrated of the four. A crushing blocker, he was also a very good runner with a surprising burst of speed. He finished second in the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 681 yards.
Injuries bothered him during the next two seasons and he was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1957. After three troubled years there, in 1960 he went to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he had his finest seasons, rushing for 1,141 yards in 1962 and 1,048 yards in 1964.
Johnson retired after the 1966 season. In 13 years in the NFL, he gained 6,803 yards in 1,571 carries, a 4.3 average, and scored 48 touchdowns. He also caught 186 passes for 1,478 yards, a 7.9 average, and 7 touchdowns.