&sq=&lang=&file=File:Ron_Johnson_vs._Navy_1967_(cropped).png) Johnson in 1967 | |||||||||||
| No. 30 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | October 17, 1947 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died: | November 10, 2018 (aged 71) Madison, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Northwestern (Detroit, Michigan) | ||||||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1969 / round: 1 / pick: 20 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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Ronald Adolphis Johnson (October 17, 1947 – November 10, 2018) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL).
Johnson played college football at the halfback position for the University of Michigan from 1966 to 1968. He set a Michigan school record in 1967 by rushing for 270 yards in a game. In 1968, he became the first African-American to serve as the captain of a Michigan football team. He set an NCAA record by rushing for 347 yards in a game and set Big Ten Conference records with 92 points scored and 1,017 rushing yards in seven conference games. He also set Michigan records with 2,524 career rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns in a season, and 139.1 rushing yards per game in 1968.
He played seven seasons in the NFL from 1969 to 1975 and became the first player in New York Giants history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, accomplishing the feat in both 1970 and 1972. He also led the NFL in rushing attempts in both 1970 and 1972. Johnson retired as a player in 1976, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992, and became chairman of the National Football Foundation in 2006. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2008, and died in 2018. He is the brother of 1970 American League batting champion Alex Johnson.