Rudi Johnson

Infobox NFLactive


caption=Rudi Johnson prior to the 2007 Monday Night opener.
currentteam=Detroit Lions
currentnumber=32
currentposition=Running back
birthdate=birth date and age|1979|10|1
birthplace=Petersburg, Virginia
heightft=5
heightin=10
weight=225
debutyear=2001
debutteam=Cincinnati Bengals
college=Auburn
draftyear=2001
draftround=4
draftpick=100
pastteams=
* Cincinnati Bengals (2001-2007)
* Detroit Lions (2008-present)
status=Active
highlights=
* Pro Bowl selection (2004)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Rushing yards
statvalue1=5,742
statlabel2=Rushing average
statvalue2=4.0
statlabel3=Rushing TDs
statvalue3=48
nfl=JOH653266

Berudi Ali "Rudi" Johnson (born October 1, 1979) is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.

Johnson was selected to the Pro Bowl with the Bengals in 2004.

College career

Butler County CC

A graduate of Thomas Dale High School in Chester, Virginia, Johnson attended Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kansas for two years. As a sophomore, he averaged 7.3 yards per carry. He led Butler to two national Junior college championships one in the DAiry bowl against Ricks College and the following year against Dixie state college in the rotary bowl.

Auburn

At Auburn University, Johnson finished his career with 324 rushing attempts for 1567 yards (4.84 yards per rush average). His 324 rushing attempts was a school single season record and his 1567 rushing yards were the second-most in the school's history. He had ten games where he rushed for 100 yards or more. He was a sociology major. His backfield mate was Heath Evans who would later go onto the NFL as well.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Johnson saw little playing time in his first two NFL seasons. He backed up four-time Pro Bowler Corey Dillon, the Bengals leading rusher since 1997, and had just 17 carries and 7 receptions.

Dillon missed much of the 2003 with injuries, and Johnson unexpectedly found himself in the starting lineup. He took full advantage of his opportunity, rushing for 957 yards and 9 touchdowns, while adding another 146 yards on 21 receptions in just 9 games. Rudi Johnson's contributions helped the Bengals improve from a 2-14 record in 2002 (the worst in franchise history,) to an 8-8 record in 2003, only their second non-losing record in 13 years at that point.

After an unhappy Dillon was traded to the New England Patriots after the 2003 season, Rudi Johnson was named the starter. He did not disappoint, starting every game and setting a franchise rushing record with 1,454 yards. He also scored 12 touchdowns and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad. With Rudi Johnson in the backfield, the Bengals duplicated their 8-8 season.

Johnson is considered one of the main reasons for the Bengals' dramatic improvement in 2005, which saw them reach the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Johnson shared tailback duties with former University of Michigan running back Chris Perry, the Bengals' first round pick in the 2004 NFL draft. By the end of the season, the Bengals finished with an 11-5 record, the team's first winning season since 1990.Johnson broke his own franchise record with 1,458 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while also recording a career high 23 receptions for 90 yards.

However, during the 2007 season, Johnson missed five games to injury, and he had only one game in which he rushed for over 100 yards. He finished with 497 yards on 170 carries for 3 touchdowns.

In August 2008, it was reported that the Bengals were interested in trading Johnson for a "top receiver" to shore up their battered receiving corps, which would leave Chris Perry as the new feature back and either Kenny Watson or DeDe Dorsey as his backup. [ [http://www.sportsnet.ca/thewire/football/nfl/2008/08/26/bengals_shopping_rudi/ Bengals Shopping Rudi Johnson] ] Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis denied any trade talks involving Rudi Johnson. "It's a rumor," he stated. [ [http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080826/SPT02/308260039 Lewis: Rudi Johnson trade talk 'a rumor'] ] However on August 27, Johnson stated he expected to be gone "any minute." [ [http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080827/SPT02/808270368/1066 Rudi: I'll be gone 'any minute'] ] After a trade could not be completed, Johnson was, in fact, released by the team on August 30 as the team trimmed the roster to the mandated 53 players. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jrxEhNB7O8iDIIs_5p-yDrXKMkDwD92SV6180 Willie Anderson, Rudi Johnson cut by Bengals] ]

Detroit Lions

Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions on September 1, 2008. The Lions released running back Tatum Bell to make room for Johnson, and he is now the starter for the Lions. [http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2008/09/rudi_johnson_signs_with_lions.html]

References

External links

* [http://www.rudij32.com/ Official Website]
* [http://www.detroitlions.com/bio.cfm?bio_id=556&season=10 Detroit Lions bio]