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Charles Johnson (wide receiver, born 1972)

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Not to be confused with Charles Johnson (wide receiver, born 1989).
Charles Johnson
No. 81, 89
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:(1972-01-03)January 3, 1972
San Bernardino, California, U.S.
Died:July 17, 2022 (aged 50)
Wake Forest, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Cajon (San Bernardino)
College:Colorado
NFL draft:1994 / round: 1 / pick: 17
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:354
Receiving yards:4,606
Receiving touchdowns:24
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Charles Everett Johnson (January 3, 1972 – July 17, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, earning All-American honors in 1993. He played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills from 1994 to 2002.

Early life

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Johnson was born in San Bernardino, California, on January 3, 1972. He attended Cajon High School in his hometown, and was awarded the Ken Hubbs award[1] for 1990.[2] He then studied at the University of Colorado Boulder where he played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes.[3] He also served as president of the Black Student Alliance and ran unsuccessfully for student body president, after being disqualified on account of being a continuing education student who had not yet paid his university fees. However, his name stayed on the ballot because the voting lists could not be changed in time and he received the most votes, with the result annulled by the university's election commissioner three days later.[4] Johnson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (17th overall selection) of the 1994 NFL draft.[5]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 0+1⁄4 in
(1.84 m) 		188 lb
(85 kg) 		32 in
(0.81 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)
All values from NFL Combine[6]

Johnson made his NFL debut with the Steelers on September 4, 1994, at the age of 22, in a 26–9 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.[7] He played in 16 games (9 starts) during his rookie season and made the seventh-longest reception in the NFL that year (84 yards).[2] He was on the Steelers' injured reserve when the team reached the Super Bowl XXX the following year, losing 27–17 to the Cowboys.[8] During the 1996 season, Johnson finished tenth in the league in yards per reception (16.8),[2] and led the franchise in receiving yards (1008), the only 1,000-yard season in his career.[8] He recorded career-highs in touchdown catches (7) and receptions (65) two years later.[8] He joined the Philadelphia Eagles as an unrestricted free agent on a five-year, $15 million contract at the conclusion of the 1998 season.[9][10]

In his first season with the Eagles, Johnson was tied for the most safeties in the NFL (1).[2] He went on to start in all 27 games during his two seasons with the franchise,[8] leading the Eagles with 7 touchdown catches in 2000 (tying his career-high),[9] and finishing second in receptions (56) that year.[11] After being released by the team in April 2001,[11] he signed with the New England Patriots and won a Super Bowl ring when the team upset the St. Louis Rams to win its first league championship. He then played his final year in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills before retiring at the end of the 2002 season.[8][9]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Punt returns Kickoff returns
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD
1994 PIT 16 9 38 577 15.2 84 3 4 -1 -0.3 7 0 15 90 6.0 15 0 16 345 12.6 71 0
1995 PIT 15 10 38 432 11.4 33 0 1 -10 -10.0 -10 0 — — — — 0 2 47 23.5 40 0
1996 PIT 16 12 60 1.008 16.8 70 3 — — — — 0 — — — — 0 6 111 18.5 31 0
1997 PIT 13 11 46 568 12.3 49 2 — — — — 0 — — — — 0 — — — — 0
1998 PIT 16 16 65 815 12.5 55 7 1 4 4.0 4 0 — — — — 0 — — — — 0
1999 PHI 11 11 34 414 12.2 36 1 — — — — 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 — — — — 0
2000 PHI 16 16 56 642 11.5 59 7 5 18 3.6 15 0 — — — — 0 — — — — 0
2001 NE 14 2 14 111 7.9 24 1 — — — — 0 — — — — 0 — — — — 0
2002 BUF 16 0 3 39 13.0 22 0 — — — — 0 — — — — 0 — — — — 0
Career 133 87 354 4,606 13.0 84 24 11 11 1.0 15 1 16 90 5.6 15 0 24 503 21.0 71 0

Later life and death

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After retiring from professional football, Johnson was employed as an assistant athletic director at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, North Carolina, working with other retired NFL players including Dewayne Washington (head coach), Willie Parker, and Torry Holt (fellow assistants). Johnson died on July 17, 2022, at the age of 50. The death was ruled a suicide after apparently overdosing on drugs, according to a report released January 2023 by the state medical examiner's office in North Carolina.[9][12][13]

References

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  1. ^ "Overall winners".
  2. ^ a b c d "Charles Johnson Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  3. ^ "Charles E. Johnson College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  4. ^ Wojciechowski, Gene (September 18, 1991). "Calling His Own Signals – Charles Johnson Building a Future for Himself Without Football at Colorado". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  5. ^ "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. ^ "Charles Johnson, Combine Results, WR – Colorado". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Charles Johnson 1994 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e Gordon, Grant (July 20, 2022). "Former Steelers first-round pick Charles Johnson, veteran of nine NFL seasons, dies at 50". National Football League. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d Zangaro, Dave (July 20, 2022). "Former Eagles receiver Charles Johnson dies at 50". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  10. ^ Labriola, Bob (July 20, 2022). "Former No. 1 pick Charles Johnson, 50". Pittsburgh Steelers. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Eagles Release WR Charles Johnson". Associated Press. April 24, 2001. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  12. ^ McCreary, Joedy; Morton, Kayla; Clark, Chris (July 19, 2022). "Super Bowl-winning receiver, Heritage High School assistant athletic director Charles Johnson dies". WNCN. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "Death of Former NFL Wide Receiver Charles Johnson Ruled Suicide". Sports Illustrated. January 10, 2023.
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