Bob Johnson (American football)
 Johnson c. 1969 | |||||||||
| No. 54 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 19, 1946 Gary, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 262 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Bradley (Cleveland, Tennessee) | ||||||||
| College: | Tennessee (1965–1967) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1968 / round: 1 / pick: 2 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career AFL/NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Robert Douglas Johnson (born August 19, 1946) is an American former football center who played for 12 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League (AFL), and then in the National Football League (NFL). He was the Bengals first-ever draft selection when he was chosen with the second overall pick in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft.
College career
[edit]Johnson played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he was the first recruit of Tennessee coach Doug Dickey. He was named both All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and All-American in 1966 and again in 1967. He earned the Jacobs Trophy, given to the SEC's best blocker, and he was named the SEC's Most Outstanding Lineman by the Birmingham Touchdown Club. Johnson finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting as a center.[1]
Also in 1967, he was named an Academic All-American and was vice president of his class while earning a degree in industrial engineering.[2]
In 1989, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[3]
Professional career
[edit]He was the first player chosen by the Bengals in their initial season. He was the second pick overall in the draft, preceded by future Hall of Famer Ron Yary.[4] He was the second highest-drafted center ever selected in an NFL Draft, after Ki Aldrich in 1939.
He was an AFL All-Star in 1968.[5]
Johnson was the last original Bengal to retire, after the 1978 season. His uniform number 54 was retired by the team, and remains the only number the team has retired. However, he came out of retirement in 1979 when Bengals center Blair Bush suffered a knee injury and the Bengals asked Johnson to return as a long snapper on punts, field goals and extra points.[6]
Following his retirement as a player, Johnson worked as a color analyst on Bengals radio from 1981 to 1985. He also worked as a color analyst on some ESPN college football broadcasts in 1979 prior to his return to the Bengals.
References
[edit]- ^ "Bob Johnson Bio - University of Tennessee Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ "Bob Johnson Bio - University of Tennessee Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ "Bob Johnson (1989) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "1968 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "1968 AFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Best Bengals Draft Pick #4: The Original Bengal Bob Johnson". April 25, 2011.
External links
[edit]- Bob Johnson at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- 1946 births
- Living people
- American football centers
- American Football League players
- American football long snappers
- Cincinnati Bengals announcers
- Cincinnati Bengals players
- National Football League announcers
- Tennessee Volunteers football players
- All-American college football players
- American Football League All-Star players
- American Football League first overall draft picks
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- National Football League players with retired numbers
- Players of American football from Gary, Indiana
- American Presbyterians
- Second overall NFL draft picks