John Henry Johnson was an
American football fullback died he was , 81. He played from 1954 to 1965 for the
San Francisco 49ers, the
Detroit Lions, and the
Pittsburgh Steelers of the
National Football League. Outside of the NFL, Johnson also played one season with the
Calgary Stampeders of the
Canadian Football League in 1953, and with the
Houston Oilers of the
American Football League in 1966.
(November 24, 1929 – June 3, 2011)
College football
Prior to his professional career, he split his
college career between
Saint Mary's College of California and
Arizona State University. He was also a member of
Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Professional career
He is best remembered for being a member of the 49ers famed "
Million Dollar Backfield". Upon his retirement, John was ranked fourth on pro football's all-time
rushing list, behind only
Jim Brown,
Jim Taylor and his fellow "Million Dollar Backfield" teammate,
Joe Perry. He is also still currently ranked fourth on the all-time Steelers rushing list, behind only
Franco Harris,
Jerome Bettis, and
Willie Parker. In 1987, he was selected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 49ers "Million Dollar Backfield" is currently the only full-house backfield to have all four of its members enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Death
On Friday, June 3, 2011, Johnson died in
Tracy,
California at the age of 81.
[2] On June 9, 2011, it was announced that Johnson and his fellow "Million Dollar Backfield" teammate, Joe Perry, who died on April 25, 2011, would have their brains examined by researchers at
Boston University who are studying head injuries in sports. Both men were suspected of suffering form
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disorder linked to repeated brain trauma. According to his daughter, Johnson couldn't talk or swallow in the final year of his life and also was in a wheelchair. She told the
San Francisco Chronicle that she hopes by donating her father's brain, it will "help with a cure."
[3]
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