John Vernard Johnson (born May 8, 1968) 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 ...

player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for five 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

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

and

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 ...

. He was selected by the 49ers in the second round of the

1991 NFL draft The 1991 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991, at the Marriott Ma ...

after playing

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Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

Early life and college

John Vernard Johnson was born on May 8, 1968, in

LaGrange, Georgia LaGrange is a city in and the county seat of Troup County, Georgia, United States. The population of the city was estimated to be 30,858 in 2020 by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the principal city of the LaGrange, Georgia Micropolitan Statist ...

and attended LaGrange High School. He was a four-year

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for the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...

from 1987 to 1990. He was named second-team All- ACC in 1989 and 1990.

Professional career

Johnson was selected by the

in the second round, with the 53rd overall pick, of the

. He officially signed with the team on July 10. He played in nine games for the 49ers during his rookie year in 1991 and recorded five tackles before being placed on injured reserve on November 9, 1991. He became a free agent after the 1991 season and re-signed with the 49ers. Johnson played in all 16 games, starting two, in 1992, totalling 19 tackles, one sack, and one interception that was returned for a 56-yard touchdown. He also appeared in two playoff games that season. He appeared in 15 games, starting 12, during the 1993 season, accumulating 46 tackles, two sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He also started two playoff games that year. Johnson was waived by the 49ers on June 10, 1994. Johnson was claimed off waivers by the

on June 13, 1994. He played in five games for the Bengals that year, recording three solo tackles and one assisted tackle, before being released on October 4, 1994. Johnson signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

in 1995 but was released on July 19, 1995. Johnon was signed by the

on July 24, 1995. He was released on August 28, re-signed on September 6, and released again on October 21, 1995. Overall, he appeared in one game for the Saints that season but did not record any statistics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, John Living people 1968 births Players of American football from LaGrange, Georgia American football linebackers Clemson Tigers football players San Francisco 49ers players Cincinnati Bengals players New Orleans Saints players LaGrange High School (Georgia) alumni Kansas City Chiefs players