 Johnson with the Chargers c. 1982 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 72, 79, 97 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | August 31, 1952 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | August 4, 2010 (aged 57) Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Mitchell (Bossier City, Louisiana) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Grambling State (1971–1974) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1975 / round: 1 / pick: 8 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Gary Lynn "Big Hands" Johnson (August 31, 1952 – August 4, 2010) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was a four-time All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He played the majority of his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, and he was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Johnson played college football for the Grambling State Tigers, and was a three-time first-team Little All-American selection. He was drafted by San Diego in the 1975 NFL draft in the first round with the eighth overall pick. Johnson was named to the NFL All-Rookie team in his first season. The Chargers won three consecutive division titles from 1979 through 1981. Their defense led the league in sacks in 1980 behind Johnson's team-record 17+1⁄2 sacks. In 1984, Johnson was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, and he won a Super Bowl with the team that season. Johnson retired after the 49ers season in 1985.
He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and was named to both the Chargers' 40th and 50th anniversary teams.