Clyde Johnson

Clyde Johnson
No. 8, 49
Position:Tackle
Personal information
Born:(1917-08-22)August 22, 1917
Ashland, Kentucky, U.S.
Died:(1997-09-14)September 14, 1997
Irvine, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:269 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school:Ashland (Ashland, Kentucky)
College:Kentucky
NFL draft:1943 / round: 5 / pick: 35
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
  • East Los Angeles (1949–1950)
    Line coach
  • East Los Angeles (1951–1961)
    Head coach
Career highlights and awards

Clyde Elmer Johnson (August 22, 1917 – September 14, 1997) was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats football team and was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team tackle on the 1942 College Football All-America Team.[1] He was Kentucky's first All-American football player.[2]

At six feet, six inches, and 269 pounds, he was one of the largest football players of his day. He was drafted by the Cleveland Rams with the 35th pick in the 1943 NFL draft, but his professional debut was delayed during World War II. After the war, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Rams in 1946 and 1947 and for the Los Angeles Dons in 1948.[3]

Johnson served as the head football coach at East Los Angeles College from 1951 to 1961. He was the coach at East Los Angeles from 1949 to 1950.[4][5]

Johnson died in 1997 in Orange County, California, at age 80.[6]

  1. ^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. 2005. p. 1187. ISBN 1401337031.
  2. ^ "Jenkins: Coach of Champions". The Evening Independent. June 8, 1963.
  3. ^ "Clyde Johnson". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "Meet the Coach". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 2, 1955. p. 6, part VI. Retrieved May 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  5. ^ "New Coach At East L. A." News-Pilot. San Pedro, California. December 5, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved May 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. ^ Death record for Clyde E Johnson, born 22 August 1917, Kentucky, died 14 September 1997, Orange. Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1940–1997 [database on-line].