Robert Randall Johnson (born January 2, 1953) is a former American football offensive guard who played two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

in the fourth round of the

1976 NFL Draft The 1976 National Football League draft was an annual player selection meeting held April 8–9, 1976, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York. The draft lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks m ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Georgia and attended

Pepperell High School Lindale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,191 at the 2010 census. History A post office c ...

Lindale, Georgia Lindale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,191 at the 2010 census. History A post offi ...

. Johnson was a consensus All-American in 1975. He was also a member of the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the Canadian Football League.

Early years

Johnson participated in high school football, wrestling, basketball, baseball and track at Pepperell High School. He was an All-area

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

and middle guard in football. The football team was 9-1 his senior year. He won the unlimited weight division in the Northwest Georgia High School wrestling tournament in 1970 and 1971. Johnson was the Region 7AA Champion in the unlimited weight division in 1970 as well. In 1971, he was the state champion of Georgia High School wrestling in the unlimited division. He was the runner-up in the state his junior year. Johnson participated in the State Track and Field competition in discus and

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

in 1971. He was also a letterman in basketball and baseball. He was inducted into the Rome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame in 1977.

College career

Johnson played for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

from 1971 to 1975. He was redshirted in 1972. He was a three-year starter and letterman from 1973 to 1975. Johnson was named to the Gridiron News All- SEC team and played in the Peach Bowl in 1973. He was named to the Pre-Season All-American Team, played in the Tangerine Bowl and earned UPI All-SEC honors in 1974. He was named to the Pre-Season All-American Team, earned AP and UPI All-SEC honors and garnered consensus All-American recognition his senior season in 1975. Johnson was also named Offensive Lineman of the Year by the Atlanta Touchdown Club, Southeastern Conference Lineman of the Year by the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club and College Offensive Lineman of the Year by the 100% Wrong Club. He was awarded the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for being the best blocker in the SEC, the William K. Jenkins Award as Georgia's best lineman and the Whitworth Memorial Trophy by the Muscogee County Bulldog Club for being Georgia's outstanding lineman in 1975. He was the offensive

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the 1975 Bulldogs team. Johnson also played in the Cotton Bowl, Hula Bowl, the first

Japan Bowl The Japan Bowl (in Japanese, ジャパンボウル) was a post-season college football all-star game played in Japan each January from 1976 to 1993, which showcased East and West all-star teams made up of college football players from the United S ...

and the Coaches All-America Game in 1975. He took classes at

Floyd Junior College Georgia Highlands College (Georgia Highlands or GHC) is a public college in northwest Georgia. It has locations in Floyd County (near Rome), Cartersville, Marietta, and Dallas and serves the northwest parts of Georgia, as well as parts of east ...

and then finished his degree at Georgia in 1984.

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Johnson was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 122nd pick in the 1976 NFL Draft. He was released by the Seahawks in September 1976 before the start of the 1976 season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Johnson signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1977. He played in 22 games, starting one, for the Buccaneers from 1977 to 1978. He suffered a back injury and was later released by the Buccaneers in 1979.

Edmonton Eskimos

Johnson spent a month with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1980 before retiring from football.

Coaching career

Johnson spent time as an assistant football coach at Coosa High School in

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statisti ...

. He also coached at Pepperell High School where the team won the State championship in 1990. He then was head coach at Model High School and then returned to Pepperell. He ended his career at Cartersville where he retired.

Impostor

An impostor claiming to be Johnson played for the Orlando Americans of the American Football Association in 1981. The impostor was Robert Lee Johnson, who stole Randy Johnson's identity in an effort to improve his odds of making the Americans squad.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Randy Living people 1953 births American football offensive guards Players of Canadian football from Georgia (U.S. state) Canadian football offensive linemen Edmonton Elks players Georgia Bulldogs football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players All-American college football players High school football coaches in Georgia (U.S. state) Players of American football from Rome, Georgia Identity theft victims