Chris Johnson (running back) facts for kids
Johnson with the Tennessee Titans in 2010
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | September 23, 1985 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Olympia (Orlando, Florida) | ||||||||||||
| College: | East Carolina (2004–2007) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Christopher Duan Johnson (born September 23, 1985) is a former professional football running back. He was known for his incredible speed. Johnson played for the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals during his career.
He was picked by the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. This happened after he ran a super fast 4.24 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. This was a record at the time!
Johnson was chosen for the Pro Bowl in his first three years. In 2009, he led the NFL in rushing with 2,006 yards. He became one of only nine players ever to run for over 2,000 yards in a season. He also broke a record for total yards from scrimmage with 2,509. This amazing season earned him the nickname CJ2K and the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year Award. Johnson ran for over 1,000 yards in all six of his seasons with the Titans. He officially retired in 2017.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Johnson was born in Orlando, Florida, on September 23, 1985. He played football at Olympia High School in Orlando. He later chose to play college football at East Carolina University.
Track and Field
Johnson was also a very fast track star at Olympia High School. In his senior year, he placed second in the 100 metres at the Florida state championships. He had personal best times of 10.38 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.28 seconds in the 200 metres. These were very fast times for a high school athlete.
College Career
Johnson played college football for the East Carolina Pirates. He studied communications. After his football career, he went back to school and graduated in 2020. He was also honored by being inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame in 2023.
Freshman Season (2004)
As a freshman, Johnson made a big impact right away. He played in all 11 games and started seven. He led his team in rushing yards (561) and kick return yards (765). He also scored five rushing touchdowns. He set eight school records for a freshman.
Sophomore Season (2005)
In his second year, Johnson started all 11 games. He led the team with 684 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 35 passes for 356 yards and two scores. He continued to be a key player for the Pirates.
Junior Season (2006)
Johnson had neck surgery before his junior year but still played in 12 games. He was named to the All-Conference USA first-team as a return specialist. He broke the school record for receiving yards by a running back. He also had an exciting 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Senior Season (2007)
Johnson had an incredible senior year. He was named a first-team All-Conference USA returner and a second-team running back. In one game, he rushed for a career-high 301 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 95 yards on kick returns, totaling 396 all-purpose yards.
In his final college game, the 2007 Hawai'i Bowl, Johnson had an amazing performance. He rushed for 223 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 32 yards and a score, plus six kick returns for 153 yards. He set an NCAA FBS record with 408 all-purpose yards in that game, helping the Pirates win 41–38.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | Kick Returns | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 2004 | ECU | 11 | 134 | 561 | 4.2 | 51.0 | 86 | 5 | 32 | 236 | 7.4 | 29 | 2 | 37 | 765 | 20.7 | 39 | 0 |
| 2005 | ECU | 11 | 176 | 684 | 3.9 | 62.2 | 39 | 6 | 35 | 356 | 10.2 | 81 | 2 | 21 | 459 | 21.9 | 43 | 0 |
| 2006 | ECU | 12 | 78 | 314 | 4.0 | 26.2 | 43 | 4 | 21 | 176 | 8.4 | 17 | 0 | 22 | 482 | 21.9 | 96 | 1 |
| 2007 | ECU | 13 | 236 | 1,423 | 6.0 | 109.5 | 102 | 17 | 37 | 528 | 14.3 | 78 | 6 | 36 | 1,009 | 28.0 | 99 | 1 |
| Total | 47 | 624 | 2,982 | 4.8 | 63.4 | 86 | 32 | 125 | 1,296 | 10.4 | 81 | 10 | 116 | 2,715 | 23.4 | 99 | 2 | |
Professional Career
Before the 2008 NFL draft, Johnson showed off his incredible speed. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.24 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine. This was the fastest time ever recorded at the Combine until 2017.
Tennessee Titans (2008–2013)
Johnson was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the 24th overall pick in 2008. He signed a five-year contract with the team.
Rookie Season (2008)
Johnson made his NFL debut on September 7, 2008. He rushed for 93 yards and scored a touchdown. In his sixth game, he ran for 168 yards. He finished his rookie season with 1,228 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns. He was second in the Rookie of the Year voting and was chosen for the 2009 Pro Bowl. He and teammate LenDale White were nicknamed "Smash and Dash" because of their different running styles.
Historic 2009 Season
Johnson's 2009 season was one of the best for a running back in NFL history. He rushed for 2,006 yards, becoming only the sixth player to reach the 2,000-yard mark. He also set a new NFL record with 2,509 total yards from scrimmage. He had 11 games in a row where he rushed for over 100 yards. This amazing year earned him the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award. He was also named to his second Pro Bowl.
2010 Season
Johnson continued his strong play in 2010. He started the season with a 76-yard touchdown run. He had several more 100-yard rushing games. He finished the season with 1,364 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He was selected for his third straight Pro Bowl.
Later Titans Years (2011–2013)
Before the 2011 season, Johnson signed a big new contract, making him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. He finished the 2011 season with 1,047 rushing yards. In 2012, he had some ups and downs but still rushed for 1,243 yards. He set an NFL record with his fifth touchdown run of 80 yards or more. In 2013, he rushed for 1,077 yards. On April 4, 2014, the Titans released Johnson.
New York Jets (2014)
Johnson signed with the New York Jets in 2014. He played one season with the team, rushing for 663 yards and one touchdown. The Jets decided not to keep him for the next season.
Arizona Cardinals (2015–2017)
Johnson joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2015. He had a strong start to the season, rushing for over 800 yards and three touchdowns. However, he suffered a leg injury in November 2015. He re-signed with the Cardinals in 2016 and 2017 but had limited playing time due to injuries and other players performing well. He was released by the team in October 2017.
Retirement
On November 5, 2018, Chris Johnson announced he was retiring from the NFL after 10 seasons. On April 24, 2019, he signed a special one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Tennessee Titans.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2008 | TEN | 15 | 14 | 251 | 1,228 | 4.9 | 66T | 9 | 43 | 260 | 6.0 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2009 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 358 | 2,006 | 5.6 | 91T | 14 | 50 | 503 | 10.1 | 69T | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2010 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 316 | 1,364 | 4.3 | 76T | 11 | 44 | 245 | 5.6 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2011 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 262 | 1,047 | 4.0 | 48T | 4 | 57 | 418 | 7.3 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2012 | TEN | 16 | 15 | 276 | 1,243 | 4.5 | 94T | 6 | 34 | 219 | 6.4 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| 2013 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 279 | 1,077 | 3.9 | 30T | 6 | 42 | 345 | 8.2 | 66T | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 2014 | NYJ | 16 | 6 | 155 | 663 | 4.3 | 47 | 1 | 24 | 151 | 6.3 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | ARI | 11 | 9 | 196 | 814 | 4.2 | 62 | 3 | 6 | 58 | 9.7 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2016 | ARI | 4 | 0 | 25 | 95 | 3.8 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | ARI | 4 | 3 | 45 | 114 | 2.5 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 8.6 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 130 | 111 | 2,163 | 9,651 | 4.5 | 94T | 55 | 307 | 2,255 | 7.3 | 69T | 9 | 21 | 16 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2008 | TEN | 1 | 1 | 11 | 72 | 6.5 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | ARI | 0 | 0 | did not play due to injury | |||||||||||
| Career | 1 | 1 | 11 | 72 | 6.5 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
NFL Records
Chris Johnson holds several impressive NFL records:
- He is the only player in NFL history to score a touchdown of 50 yards, 60 yards, and 90 yards in one game.
- He holds the record for the most total scrimmage yards in a single season with 2,509 yards (set in 2009).
- He is the only player in NFL history with six touchdown runs of over 80 yards. No other player has more than four.
- He is the only player in NFL history to have four touchdown runs of over 85 yards.
- He is the first player in NFL history with at least 1,900 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards in the same season (2009).
- He is the first player in NFL history with at least 1,900 rushing yards and 50 receptions in the same season (2009).
- He has the second most consecutive games rushing for over 100 yards (12 games).
Television Appearances
In 2013, Johnson was a special guest judge on an episode of the TV show Ink Master. He also participated in a National Geographic documentary called "Man v. Cheetah." In the show, Johnson raced a cheetah on a 220-foot track. The cheetah won the race.
Images for kids
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Johnson with the Tennessee Titans in 2010
