Jason Mansfield Johnson (born November 8, 1965) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

who played two seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

and

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He played

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Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

. He also played for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the

World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

(WLAF).

Early life and college

Jason Mansfield Johnson was born on November 8, 1965, in

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

. He attended West Side High School in Gary. Johnson was a four-year

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for the

Illinois State Redbirds The Illinois State Redbirds are the athletic teams that represent Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Teams play at the NCAA Division I level ( FCS in football). Most teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference except football (M ...

from 1984 to 1987. He later returned to school and graduated in December 1995.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 1988 NFL draft, Johnson signed with the

on April 27, 1988. He was placed on injured reserve on August 22 and was activated on October 27, 1988. He played in eight games for the Broncos during the 1988 season, totaling one catch for six yards, one carry for three yards, 14 kick returns for 292 yards, one punt return for five yards, one fumble, and one fumble recovery. Johnson became a free agent after the season. Johnson was signed by the

on March 16, 1989. He appeared in 14 games in 1989, recording three kick returns for 43 yards, two punt returns for 22 yards, one fumble and one fumble recovery. He became a free agent again after the 1989 season. Johnson signed with the

on March 28, 1990. He was released on September 3, 1990. Johnson played in all ten games, starting nine, for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the

in 1991, catching 38 passes for 635 yards and four touchdowns. The Galaxy finished the season with a 7–3 record but did not make the playoffs as they were 3rd in the European Division behind the

London Monarchs The London Monarchs were a professional American football team in NFL Europe and its predecessor league, the World League of American Football (WLAF). The Monarchs played their final season in 1998 as the England Monarchs. In 1999, they were re ...

(9–1) and Barcelona Dragons (8–2). Johnson was signed by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

on July 17, 1991. He was placed on injured reserve on July 29, 1991. Johnson returned to the Galaxy in 1992 and caught 22 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown that year.

Coaching career

Johnson was the head coach at his alma mater, West Side, from 2011 to 2017. He coached his son

Jon'Vea Johnson Jon'Vea J'Qyay Johnson (born December 23, 1995) is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football at the University of Toledo. Johnson has been a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, ...

while at West Side.

References

External links

Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jason Living people 1965 births Players of American football from Gary, Indiana American football wide receivers Illinois State Redbirds football players Denver Broncos players Pittsburgh Steelers players New Orleans Saints players Frankfurt Galaxy players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen High school football coaches in Indiana Coaches of American football from Indiana