Johnson was born in Sarasota, Florida in 1978.[1] He attended Riverview High School in Sarasota,[2] where he was a standout defensive back for the Riverview Rams high school football team.[3] Johnson was an all-state selection and a SuperPrepAll-American as a senior, and set the school record for the 110-yard intermediate hurdles in track & field.[4]
College career
Johnson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier and coach Ron Zook's Florida Gators football teams from 1998 to 2002.[5] The Gators coaching staff decided to redshirt him as a true freshman in 1998, and he spent the season practicing with the scout team; subsequently, Johnson became a four-year letterman and started in thirty-three out of forty-nine games in which he played.[4] As a redshirt freshman in 1999, he had twenty-four tackles, four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.[4] During his sophomore season in 2000, he started all thirteen games, led the team with a career-high 102 tackles, and had five interceptions, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, and four fumble recoveries, including one returned seventy-six yards for a touchdown, and received first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors.[4][5] Johnson started all eleven games as junior in 2001, tallying seventy-two tackles, three passes defensed, and two interceptions and again received first-team All-SEC honors.[4][5] As a senior team captain in 2002, he started all thirteen games, and compiled eighty-eight tackles and two interceptions and was a second-team All-SEC selection.[4][5] Johnson finished his Gator career with a total of 284 tackles and nine interceptions.[4]
Johnson graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in applied physiology and kinesiology in 2009.
Johnson was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (100th pick overall) in the 2003 NFL draft.[7] He played for the Bears for four seasons from 2003 to 2006.[8] He did not appear in any regular season games in 2003,[8] after suffering a broken jaw in a preseason game. He returned in 2004, playing in sixteen games including ten starts, and finished the season with seventy-five tackles.[1] Johnson was Mike Brown's immediate backup during his time with the Bears, and saw extended playing time following Brown's season-ending injury in 2004. The following year, 2005, Johnson saw action in fourteen games, totaling thirty-five tackles.[1] Johnson made thirty-two tackles during 2006,[1] and was released following the season.
St. Louis Rams
Johnson signed a four-year $4 million contract to play with the St. Louis Rams on March 12, 2007. In his first season with the Rams, he finished the campaign with 29 tackles. In 2008 Johnson made 23 tackles in a backup safety role. He was waived by the Rams on September 5, 2009.
Buffalo Bills
On October 13, 2009, Johnson signed a one-year free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson was placed on injured reserve on January 2, 2010, due to a hamstring injury.
Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN0-7948-2298-3.
Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN0-9650782-1-3.
Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN1-58261-514-4.
