John Henry Johnson
John Henry Johnson was drafted in the second round (18th overall) by Pittsburgh in 1953, but spent his first year in pro ball with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian League. Johnson came into the NFL as part of the Dream Backfield with the San Francisco Forty-Niners, where he played from 1954 to 1956. The other three members of this great combination were qarterback Y.A. Tittle and running backs Hugh McElhenny and Joe “the Jet” Perry.
In his rookie year with the 49ers, Johnson ranked second in the league with 681 yards rushing and a 5.3-yard average, scoring nine touchdowns. He finished his three-year stint in San Francisco with 1,051 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns, 279 yards receiving on 38 receptions. This group remains the only full-house backfield to have all four of its members enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
His unique running style was a combination of grace, power, and speed. Johnson could zig zag or take defenders straight on, depending on the circumstances. Add that one thing not measured but very important, Johnson loved to block and did it better than any other running back in his time. John Henry had no equal at his position. He fractured at least one skull and three jaws that we know of, one jaw in two places, with his blocking alone.
He hit Charlie Trippi of the Chicago Cardinals so hard he fractured Trippi’s skull. Some friends of Trippi’s in Chicago seriously suggested to him that they arrange some underground retribution, but Trippi talked them out of it. After three years with Forty Niners, the Detroit Lions acquired him in 1957. Johnson led the Lions in rushing, helping them to the NFL Championship, before becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler in 1960.
He scored 330 points on 55 touchdowns in his career. It was with the Steelers that John Henry enjoyed his finest seasons. In both 1962 and 1964, he broke the 1,000-yard rushing barrier, the first Steeler to achieve that lofty level. Johnson was selected to play in the 1955, 1963, 1964, and 1965 Pro Bowl Games. John Henry had the game of his life, the defining game of his career, in 1964, in Cleveland against the Browns.
Cleveland would win the NFL championship that year, but Johnson quieted more than 80,000 stunned fans on the lakefront with a performance for the ages. John Henry became only the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in a game. He scored all three Steelers’ touchdowns. The final score was 23-7. The game was not nearly as close as the score might indicate. Pittsburgh amassed a ghastly 354 yards rushing and simply ran all over Cleveland at will.
The pro bowler, Johnson’s 6,803 career yards rushing trailed only Jim Brown, Jim Taylor and former 49er Joe Perry upon his retirement in 1966. Johnson was also a productive receiver, catching 186 passes for 1,478 yards. He scored 55 touchdowns during his career. Johnson ranks fourth on the Steelers’ all-time rushing list behind Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker. In 1987, John Henry Johnson joined his “Million Dollar Backfield” teammates in the Hall of Fame.