John Henry Johnson, one of the best all-around backs in N.F.L. history, died Friday at age 81. He may not be as famous as some other Hall of Famers, but he left his mark, both on his teammates, and especially on those who played against him. Andy Barall writes about pro football history for the Fifth Down.
John Henry Johnson’s career had an unusual arc, especially for a running back. He had his most productive years in his early-to-mid 30s in Pittsburgh, where he gave Steeler fans something to cheer about in their pre-merger years. When he retired, after the 1966 season, Johnson was the fourth-leading ground gainer in N.F.L. history, behind Jim Brown, Jim Taylor and his former teammate, Joe Perry.
Johnson was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 1953 draft (18th over all), but spent a year in the Canadian league after receiving a better offer from the Calgary Stampeders. A year later, he began his N.F.L. career with the 49ers. In San Francisco, Johnson joined Perry, running back Hugh McElhenny and quarterback Y. A. Tittle to form what came to be known as the Million Dollar Backfield.
In 1954, Perry led the league with 1,049 yards rushing (6.1 yards per carry), Johnson finished second with 681 yards (5.3 yards per carry), and McElhenny, despite playing in only six games, came in eighth with 515 yards (8 yards per carry).
Perry was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969, McElhenny in 1970, and Tittle in 1971. Johnson would have to wait.
After three season with the 49ers, Johnson was traded to Detroit, where he helped lead the Lions to the 1957 N.F.L. championship. He led the team in rushing that year with 621 yards,
had 20 receptions for 141 yards, and scored 5 touchdowns. The Lions, trailing by 27-7 early in the third quarter, rallied to defeat the 49ers, 31-27, for the Western Division title and then routed the Browns, 59-14,
at Briggs Stadium in Detroit in the championship game. Tobin Rote threw four touchdown passes and Cleveland turned the ball over six times. Johnson had 7 carries for 34 yards and 1 reception for 16.
At 6 feet 2 inches, Johnson was officially listed at 210 pounds but played at closer to 225. He was big, quick, tough and physical. He could run the quick trap to the inside, the fullback slant off-tackle, and the power sweep to the outside in either direction. His excellent vision and balance led to a number of long cutback runs against the grain all the way across the field. When he got out into the open, Johnson was fast enough to run away from the defenders and powerful enough to lower his shoulder and run over them. He also made good use of the stiff-arm.
Like many of the big backs, Johnson’s value exceeded the number of yards he gained. He was an intimidator, whether he had the ball or not. “You’ve got to scare your opponent”, he once said. “I can run away from a lot of guys after I get them afraid of a collision with me… I always dish out more than I can take,” he was quoted as saying in Lew Freedman’s “Pittsburgh Steelers: The Complete Illustrated History” (MVP Books, 2011). Even with all the punishment he took, Johnson always wore a helmet with a single-bar facemask.
Johnson could run, catch, and unlike some of the other great runners, he was also an outstanding blocker, either as a lead back in the running game, or in blitz pickup in pass protection. As the Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne, Johnson’s teammate in Detroit and in Pittsburgh, said about him: “John Henry is my bodyguard. 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.” (“Johnson, Hall of Fame RB for four teams, dies at age 81,” NFL.com.)
Johnson was traded by Detroit to Pittsburgh in 1960. Two seasons later, at 33, he rushed for 1,141 yards, becoming the first Steeler running back to exceed the thousand yard mark. In 1964, he did it again, rushing for 1,048 yards. That year, in Week 5, he had probably the best game of his career. On a Saturday night in Cleveland, about six weeks shy of his 35th birthday, Johnson had 200 yards rushing on 30 carries and had touchdown runs of 33, 45, and 5 yards. The three Steelers runners that night, Johnson, Clarence Peaks and Dick Hoak, combined for 319 yards rushing on 56 carries as the Steelers upset the Browns, 23-7. It was Cleveland’s only home loss in 1964 on their way to the N.F.L. championship.
Johnson ended his 13-year professional career (he played his last season with Houston of the A.F.L.) with 6,803 yards rushing (48 TDs) and 186 receptions for 1,478 yards (7 TDs). He also threw 2 touchdown passes and, in his brief time playing defensive back early in his career in San Francisco because of injuries in the secondary, he had 1 interception. Johnson was elected to the Pro Bowl after the 1954, 1962, 1963 and 1964 seasons.
In 1987, after eight years as a finalist, John Henry Johnson was elected to the Hall of Fame. At his induction ceremony later that summer, he told of his relief that his day had finally come: “I was confident someday I would be here, but then on the other hand, I thought I might be dead since it had taken so long. Today I feel that I finally have that respect, and I wanna tell you, it makes me feel damn good.” (NFL Films, “Remembering John Henry Johnson,” NFL.com)