| No. 38 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 13, 1947 Canton, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Canton (Canton, Illinois) | ||||||||||||
| College | Illinois (1965-1968) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1969: 3rd round, 78th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Richard Lewis Johnson (born May 13, 1947) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Oilers in the third round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft.
At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Johnson was a member of the Fighting Illini for four seasons, playing his final three years and starting the last two at fullback. He rushed for 768 yards and six touchdowns on 195 carries in his junior season. [1] As a senior, Johnson finished 20th in the nation with 973 rushing yards and was named second team All-Big Ten Conference and the team Most Valuable Player. [2] [3] He finished his collegiate career with 2,058 rushing yards, fourth-most in school history at the time, and 11 touchdowns. [4] [5]
Johnson was selected in the third round (78th overall) of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft by the Houston Oilers. [5] He played in all of the Oilers games during the 1969 season, rushing 11 times for 42 yards with two receptions for 17 yards and one touchdown in his lone professional season. [6]