Chad Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chad Johnson

Johnson with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006
No. 85
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1978-01-09) January 9, 1978 (age 47) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school:	Miami Beach Senior (Miami, Florida)
College:	Santa Monica (1997–1999) Oregon State (2000)
NFL Draft:	2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36
Career history
Cincinnati Bengals (2001) New England Patriots (2011) Miami Dolphins (2012)* Montreal Alouettes (2014–2015) Fundidores de Monterrey (2017)
Career highlights and awards
2× First-team All-Pro (2005, 2006) Second-team All-Pro (2003) 6× Pro Bowl (2003–2007, 2009) NFL receiving yards leader (2006) Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor Cincinnati Bengals 40th Anniversary Team Cincinnati Bengals 50th Anniversary Team
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 766 Receiving yards: 11,059 Receiving touchdowns: 67
Career CFL statistics
Receptions: 7 Receiving yards: 151 Receiving touchdowns: 1
Player stats at PFR
Player stats at CFL.ca (archive)

Chad Ochocinco Johnson (born Chad Javon Johnson; January 9, 1978) is a famous American former football player. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He was known for his exciting plays and fun personality.

Chad played college football for the Santa Monica Corsairs and the Oregon State Beavers. He spent most of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He also played for the New England Patriots. Chad was picked by the Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played for them for 10 seasons.

In 2011, Johnson was traded to the Patriots. He even played in Super Bowl XLVI with them. After the NFL, he played for the Montreal Alouettes in Canada and the Fundidores de Monterrey in Mexico. Chad became one of the best wide receivers in the 2000s. He holds many receiving records for the Bengals. He was also chosen for the Pro Bowl six times.

Early Life and College Football

Chad Johnson was born in Miami, Florida. He went to Miami Beach Senior High School. He later attended Santa Monica College in California. There, he played football with future NFL star Steve Smith.

In 2000, Chad moved to Oregon State University. He joined the OSU team. With his teammate T. J. Houshmandzadeh, he helped his team have a great season. They won 11 games and beat Notre Dame 41–9 in the Fiesta Bowl. Chad also set a school record with a 97-yard touchdown catch. In his one year at Oregon State, he caught 37 passes for 886 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Playing in the NFL

Cincinnati Bengals Years

The Cincinnati Bengals picked Chad Johnson in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. He was the 36th player chosen overall.

Early Seasons (2001–2004)

In his first year (2001), Chad played a bit, catching 28 passes for 329 yards. In 2002, he caught 69 passes for 1,166 yards. In 2003, he set a Bengals record with 1,355 receiving yards. He continued to play well in 2004, catching 95 passes for 1,274 yards.

Record-Breaking Seasons (2005–2007)

Chad broke his own record in 2005 with 1,432 receiving yards. He led the AFC in receiving yards for four years in a row. He also made the Pro Bowl five times from 2003 to 2007.

During the 2005 season, Chad made a fun list called who Covered 85 in '05. It was a way to joke about the players who tried to guard him. His coach, Marvin Lewis, even made a funny parody list.

In 2006, Chad had an amazing game against the San Diego Chargers. He gained 260 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns. This broke the Bengals' record for most receiving yards in one game. The next week, he had 190 yards and three touchdowns. This gave him an NFL record of 450 receiving yards in two games. He finished the 2006 season leading the NFL with 1,369 receiving yards. He was the first Bengal to do this.

Chad was also very popular with fans. He was known for his exciting celebrations after scoring. In 2007, he broke another Bengals record for career receiving yards. He also became the Bengals' all-time leader in catches. He finished the 2007 season with 1,440 yards, setting a new Bengals record again.

2008 and 2009 Seasons

In 2008, Chad legally changed his last name to Ochocinco. This means "eight five" in Spanish, which was his jersey number. He played the season with this new name. He had a tougher year statistically, but the Bengals won their first game of the season with two touchdowns from him.

Before the 2009 season, Chad showed he wanted to make up for past issues. He invited Bengals fans to dinner and movie nights. He had a great season, catching 72 passes for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. He was just short of 10,000 career receiving yards. He was also chosen for his sixth Pro Bowl.

Final Bengals Season (2010)

In 2010, Chad started strong. He caught 12 passes for 159 yards in the first game. He also became the sixth player in NFL history to get 10,000 receiving yards with one team.

New England Patriots

In 2011, Chad Ochocinco was traded to the New England Patriots. He played in his first Super Bowl with them, catching one pass for 21 yards. The Patriots lost the game. In June 2012, he was released by the Patriots.

Miami Dolphins

Chad signed with the Miami Dolphins in June 2012. In July, he legally changed his last name back to Johnson. He was released by the Dolphins in August.

Later Football Career

Chad Johnson signed with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2014. He played in five games, catching seven passes for 151 yards and one touchdown. He was suspended in 2015 for not reporting to training camp.

In March 2017, Chad played one game for the Fundidores de Monterrey in Mexico. He caught three passes, including a 41-yard touchdown, helping his team win.

Life After Playing Football

After his playing career, Chad Johnson has stayed involved in football. In 2016, he worked as a guest instructor for the Cleveland Browns. He has also become a TV personality. He is a panelist on the show Inside the NFL and co-hosts a podcast called Nightcap.

Other Fun Projects

Chad Johnson has done many interesting things outside of football:

• Smartphone App: He helped create an iPhone game called Mad Chad in 2010.
• Dancing with the Stars: In 2010, he was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. He made it to the final four competitors.
• TV Shows: He had his own segment on Sports Soup called "Child, Please." He also co-hosted a talk show called The T. Ocho Show with Terrell Owens. In 2010, he had a reality dating show called Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch on VH1. He also appeared in shows like Blue Mountain State, The League, and The Game.
• WWE: He was a guest host on WWE Raw in 2010.
• Soccer: In 2011, he tried out for a professional soccer team, Sporting Kansas City. He later played for Boca Raton FC from 2018 to 2019, scoring three goals. He also worked as an analyst for Fox Sports during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
• Bull Riding: In 2011, he tried riding a bull at a PBR event. He lasted 1.5 seconds!
• Acting and Commercials: He had a cameo in the movie American Reunion (2012). He was also in commercials for pistachios and a music video for the singer Monica.
• Video Games: He was on the cover of the 2006 video game NFL Street 3.
• PETA: He appeared in a PETA ad campaign to encourage people to choose tattoos over animal fur.

Career Statistics

NFL career

CFL career

Career Awards and Highlights

• AFC champion (2011)
• 6× Pro Bowl selection (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)
• 4× All-Pro selection (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
• NFL receiving yards leader (2006)
• 10,000 receiving yards club

Bengals Franchise Records

• Career receptions (751)
• Career receiving yards (10,783)
• Career receiving touchdowns (66)
• Career yards from scrimmage (10,958)
• Career All-Purpose Yds (10,964)
• Career games with 100+ receiving yards (31)
• Career Games with 1+ touchdown (50)
• Career 1000+ receiving yard seasons (7)

Personal Life

Chad Johnson in 2007.

Chad Johnson is known for being careful with his money. He once lived at the Bengals' team facility to save money. He also became famous for choosing to fly with Spirit Airlines instead of a private jet. He even wore jewelry from a store called Claire's and suggested McDonald's for a first date!

Chad has six children. His son, Chad Jr., also plays wide receiver in college. His cousin, Brandon Johnson, plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chad got engaged in January 2023 and has a daughter born in 2022.

He loves other sports too. In 2007, he raced a Thoroughbred racehorse for charity and won! He is a big fan of the FIFA video game series. He often calls himself the "FIFA king" and sometimes plays games with fans.

Name Changes

Johnson and Bart Scott exchanging pleasantries after a game in 2006.

On October 25, 2006, Chad Johnson announced he wanted to be called "Ocho Cinco." This is Spanish for "eight five," his jersey number. He even wore a jersey that said "Ocho Cinco" during warm-ups once. He was fined $5,000 for this.

On August 29, 2008, he legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ochocinco. He wore "OCHOCINCO" on his jersey from 2009 to 2011. He wanted it to say "OCHO CINCO," but the NFL only allowed his legal name.

He once thought about changing his name to "Hachi Go," which means "eight five" in Japanese. But he didn't go through with it. Finally, on July 23, 2012, he legally changed his name back to Chad Johnson. He said he wanted to "reconnect with his former self."

Images for kids

• 

  Ochocinco (left) and Terrell Owens before a game against the New England Patriots on September 12, 2010.

• 

  Ochocinco practicing with the Patriots shortly after being traded to them.

See also

In Spanish: Chad Ochocinco para niños