Jimmy Johnson (cornerback)
- San Francisco 49ers ( 1961-1976 )
- 5x Pro Bowl selection ( 1969-1972, 1974)
- 8x All-Pro selection ( 1964-1972, 1974) 1 2 team
- NFL 1970s All- Decade Team
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (1993 )
- UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame (1992 )
- San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (1990 )
- The Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame (1978 )
- Back number blocked when the 49ers
- 49ers Hall of Fame
- George S. Halas Courage Award ( 1971)
- Len Eshmond Award (1969, 1975)
James Earl "Jimmy" Johnson ( born March 31, 1938 in Dallas, Texas ) is an American former American football player. He played as a cornerback in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the San Francisco 49ers.
Youth
Jimmy Johnson was born in Dallas, but his family moved after his birth Kingsburg, California. He has two brothers and two sisters. On the High School in Kingsburg, he was active as a football, basketball and baseball players. In all three sports he was captain of the school team. His brother Rafer Johnson was also a sports enthusiast, he was a successful athlete and won at the Olympic Summer Games in 1956, the silver medal in the decathlon. Four years later he won at the Olympic Summer Games 1960 in the same discipline the gold medal.
Playing career
College career
After a year of study at Santa Monica City College, Johnson studied from 1958 to 1960 at the University of California, Los Angeles ( UCLA), for their football team, the UCLA Bruins, he ran aground as wingback and defensive back. Like his brother Rafer, who studied also in Los Angeles and had attracted attention as an athlete, Jimmy was active as a long jumper and hurdler. Because of his athletic achievements, he was honored by his college three times. In particular, the speed of Johnson left the scouts of the NFL and the American Football League ( AFL) attention.
Professional career
Jimmy Johnson was drafted at 31 place in 1961 by the San Diego Chargers, a team from the AFL, in the fourth round. However, Johnson joined the San Francisco 49ers, who selected him in the first round in sixth place of the NFL Draft. The 49ers initially put him only as a cornerback in 1962 and 1963 he received from head coach Red Hickey also increasingly use time as a running back. The team from San Francisco, however, reached neither Hickey nor his successor, Jack Christiansen the play-offs of the NFL. In 1968 Dick Nolan took over as coach, he succeeded from the team to form a top team. 1970, Johnson move in with his team for the first time in the play-offs, where they have failed because in the NFC Championship game to the Dallas Cowboys with 17:10. Against the same team failed the 49ers in the following year in the NFC Championship Game, this time with 14:3. 1972 succeeded Johnson for the last time in the play-offs to feed. This time the team had already failed in the Divisional play -off game at the Cowboys with 30:28. After 212 games for the 49ers Johnson finished the 1976 season after his pro career.
Honors
Jimmy Johnson played five times in the Pro Bowl eight times and was voted All- Pro. He is a member of the NFL 1970s All- Decade Team in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame, in the San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, as well as in The Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame and in the 49ers Hall of Fame. The 49ers have his shirt number blocked.