Pete Johnson (American football)

Infobox NFLretired


name=Pete Johnson
|width=
caption=
position=Running back
number=46
birthdate=birth date and age|1954|3|2
Peach County, Georgia
deathdate=
debutyear=1977
finalyear=1984
draftyear=1977
draftround=2
draftpick=49
college=Ohio State
teams=
* Cincinnati Bengals (1977-1983)
* San Diego Chargers (1984)
* Miami Dolphins (1984)
stat1label=Rushing yards
stat1value=5,626
stat2label=Average
stat2value=3.8
stat3label=Touchdowns
stat3value=76
nfl=JOH573126
highlights=
* 1x Pro Bowl selection (1981)
* 1x All-Pro selection (1981)
HOF=
CollegeHOF=

Pete Johnson (born in March 2, 1954 in Peach County, Georgia) is a former college and professional American football running back. He spent 8 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. Before his NFL career, Johnson played for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

College career

Johnson played fullback for Ohio State from 1973 through 1976. In 1973, starting fullback Champ Henson was injured and converted linebacker Bruce Elia was named to start in Henson's place. By the end of that season, however, freshman fullback Pete Johnson had worked his way up the depth chart. In 1974, Elia returned to the linebacker corps and Henson and Johnson alternated at fullback.

Although tailback Archie Griffin got most of the carries from 1972 to 1975, the Ohio State fullbacks still got the ball frequently and were expected to be major contributors, particularly in short-yardage situations. In 1972 the teams leading scorer was Henson, and in 1973 it was Elia. Johnson's best season was in 1975. Even though Griffin led the team with 1,450 rushing yards, Johnson still rushed for 1,059 yards and set single OSU single season records for rushing touchdowns (25) and scoring (156 points).

One of Johnson's more notable performances was a game against the University of North Carolina in 1974. While Griffin rushed for 157 yards, Johnson rushed for 148 yards and set a school record with five touchdowns. Johnson finished his career at Ohio State with 2,308 rushing yards and a school record 58 touchdowns. His 348 points was also a Buckeyes record until surpassed by kicker Mike Nugent's 356 points in 2004.

In 2000, Johnson was selected for the Ohio State Football All-Century Team. On September 8th, 2007, during halftime of the Ohio State vs Akron Game, Johnson was inducted into Ohio State's Athletics Hall of Fame.

NFL career

A superb rusher and blocker, Johnson excelled at running back for the Bengals. He was the team's leading rusher for all 7 seasons he played for them, and scored 12 or more rushing touchdowns in 3 different seasons. His best season was in 1981, where he made his only pro bowl selection. Johnson set career highs in rushing (1,077 yards), receptions(46), receiving yards(320) and touchdowns(16), assisting the team to a 12-4 record. In the postseason, Johnson helped the team record their first ever playoff win by rushing for 45 yards, catching 3 passes for 23 yards, and scoring a touchdown in the team's 28-21 divisional victory over the Buffalo Bills. Then in the AFC title game(known in NFL Lore as the Freezer Bowl), Johnson rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a 14-yard reception as the team defeated the San Diego Chargers 27-7 to earn their first ever Super Bowl appearance. However, the team lost Super Bowl XVI to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21, and Johnson was limited to just 36 rushing yards and 8 receiving yards in the game.

In 1984, Johnson was traded to the Chargers in exchange for running back James Brooks. He left Cincinnati as their all-time leader in rushing yards(5,421), touchdowns(70), and their second all-time leading scorer with 420 points. Johnson spent the first 3 games of the 1984 season with Chargers and spent the final 13 games with Miami before retiring after the season ended.

In his 8 NFL seasons, Johnson rushed for 5,626 yards, caught 175 passes for 1,334 yards, and scored 82 touchdowns (76 rushing and 6 receiving).

Legal Problems

On June 2, 2008 Johnson was convicted for writing a bad check to purchase a pickup truck in Urbana, Ohio. Johnson testified in court that he thought he had sufficient funds in his account to cover the check. On July 21, 2008, Johnson was sentenced to three years probation, a small fine and to perform 60 hours of community service.

External links

* [http://bengals.com/team/history/rushing_alltime.asp Bengals all-time leading rushers]
* [http://bengals.com/team/history/scoring_alltime.asp Bengals all-time leading scorers]
* [http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/osu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/records Ohio State records]
* [http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/07/21/sns072208johnson.html Pete Johnson Convicted On Bad Check Charge]