Ian Johnson (American football)

Ian Blake Johnson (born September 25, 1985)[1] is a former American football running back. He played college football at Boise State.

Ian Johnson
2009 Vikings training camp
No. 28, 41, 42
Position:Running Back
Personal information
Born: (1985-09-25) September 25, 1985
San Dimas, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:La Verne (CA) Damien
College:Boise State
Undrafted:2009
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • 1× First-team All-American (2006)
  • 2× First-team All-WAC (2006, 2007)
  • 1× Second-team All-WAC (2008)
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Born in Monrovia, California, Johnson attended Damien High School in La Verne, where he was a two-sport star in football and track. In football, he was named Inland Valley Offensive Player of the Year, L.A. Times All-San Gabriel Valley first team, San Gabriel Valley Tribune All-Area first team, Daily Bulletin Inland Valley All-Area Team, All-Sierra League MVP, and CIF Division II first-team all-league as a senior. Johnson was also a team captain for the Spartans and set Damien High School records in career rushing yards, season rushing yards (2,009 yards) and points scored (347). He was a high school teammate of Arena Football League star, Nick Davila.

Also a standout track & field athlete, Johnson was an All-Sierra League and All-CIF pick while competing in the 100-meter dash (11.17 s), 200-meter dash (23.03 s), and 4 × 100 m relay (43.38 s).

College career

Johnson was redshirted for the 2004 season. In 2005, he rushed for 1,445 yards, at that time the second-most by a freshman in Broncos history, scoring 14 touchdowns. In his illustrious career at BSU, Johnson ran for 4,158 yards and 58 touchdowns, surpassing Marshall Faulk to set a new WAC record for career rushing touchdowns.[2]

The Broncos finished the 2006 regular season unbeaten (12–0) and became only the second team from outside the BCS conferences to play in a BCS bowl game. They played in the Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners, the year's Big 12 champion. Johnson scored the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime on a Statue of Liberty play to the left side. Boise State defeated Oklahoma 43–42, completing a perfect 13-0 season. Johnson rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Johnson had been considered a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate.[3] However, shortly after the announcement of his consideration for the Heisman Trophy, a collapsed lung sidelined Johnson for one game and hurt his chances of winning the Heisman. After the end of the 2006 regular season, he led NCAA Division I-A in scoring with 24 touchdowns.[4] On December 7, 2006, Sports Illustrated named Johnson to their 2006 All-American first team. This made Johnson the first Boise State athlete to be named to a major All-American team.[5] CBSSports.com also named him All-America in 2006. He was also named to the All-WAC team, won a Division I-A Offensive Player of the Week award, two WAC Offensive Player of the Week awards, and was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. Johnson ran an official 4.58 40-yard dash at Boise State.

Professional career

Pre-draft measureables
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench pressWonderlic
5 ft 11 1⁄4 in
(1.81 m)		 212 lb
(96 kg)		 4.46 s1.46 s2.55 s4.18 s6.86 s33 in
(0.84 m)		9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		26 reps26
3-cone and broad jump from Boise State Pro Day, all others from NFL Combine.[6]

Minnesota Vikings

Johnson ran the fastest 40-yard dash time for a running back at the 2009 NFL Combine with a 4.46. He was signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings.[7] In the fourth game of the preseason, Johnson ran for 2 touchdowns in 17 carries against the Dallas Cowboys. The following season, Johnson was waived by the Vikings on September 4, 2010.[8] He was re-signed to the practice squad two days later.[9]

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals signed Johnson to their practice squad on September 6, 2010,[10] and he was released three weeks later on September 27.[11]

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions signed Johnson to their practice squad on November 17, 2010.[12] During the following season's training camp, he was released on September 3, 2011.[13]

Miami Dolphins

Johnson was signed to the Miami Dolphins' practice squad on September 12, 2011, released on December 14,[14] then signed back to the practice squad on December 29.[15]

Post-football career

Johnson is an insurance agent through State Farm in Boise.[16]

In November 2010, Johnson joined Kituku and Associates in Boise as a motivational speaker and personal coach. Johnson speaks at schools, businesses, churches, and associations on turning dreams to reality, winning as a team, making the right choices, and overcoming challenges.

Johnson joined Boise radio station KNFL "ESPN Boise 730/96.5" in February 2014.[17]

Personal life

Following the Fiesta Bowl in 2007, during an interview with Chris Myers, Johnson proposed to his girlfriend Chrissy Popadics, Boise State's head cheerleader, on Fox Sports' postgame coverage. They married on July 28, 2007. According to Johnson, he received about 30 threatening letters, which he handed over to the FBI, from people who objected to his nationally televised marriage proposal at the end of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.[18] Johnson, who is black, and Popadics, who is white, hired security for their wedding due to the threats.[19]

Johnson and his wife have one daughter, Johannah.[20]

Johnson crocheted during his spare time while at Boise State, giving beanies away to teammates after being prohibited from selling them by the NCAA.[21][22][23]

See also

References
  1. "California Births, 1905 - 1995". Familytreelegends.com. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  2. "Ian Johnson". Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. "Boise State's Johnson a Heisman dark horse". Athlon. October 10, 2006.
  4. "Ian Johnson bio". Boise State University Sports Information. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
  5. "SI.com's All Americans". SI.com. December 7, 2006.
  6. "NFL Draft Scout". Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  7. Voices.IdahoStatesman.com. "Ian Johnson, Vinny Perretta strike deals with Vikings; Childs to Chargers; Hawkins to Cowboys; O'Neill to Jaguars". Voices.IdahoStatesman.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  8. "Vikings trimming the fat from roster | ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. 2010-09-04. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  9. Jensen, Sean (2009-09-07). "Vikings sign quarterback John David Booty to practice squad". TwinCities.com. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  10. "Mills, Johnson land jobs; Jets put in claim on Payne". StarTribune.com. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  12. Voices.IdahoStatesman.com. "Former BSU star Ian Johnson added to Detroit Lions practice squad". Voices.IdahoStatesman.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  13. Twentyman, Tim (2013-03-29). "Lions establish 53-man roster". Detroitlions.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  14. Alex Espinoza (2011-12-14). "jets.com | LB Wilhoite Added to P-Squad". Blog.49ers.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  15. Miami Dolphins transactions December 2011
  16. Schnell, Lindsay (2016). "David vs Goliath". Sports Illustrated. 125: 54.
  17. Rick Worthington [@RickWorthington] (15 February 2014). "We welcomed former #boisestate football great @ianjohnson4133 to the @ESPNBoise family today! Welcome" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. "College Football: Boise State's Johnson receives racial threats". The Seattle Times. July 25, 2007. Archived from the original on December 26, 2009.
  19. "Fiesta Bowl Star Ian Johnson Has Hired Wedding Security".
  20. http://www.idahopress.com/blueturfsports/football/years-later-ian-johnson-and-fox-broadcaster-chris-myers-still/article_aa0dfcd9-966f-5e49-a251-c8bd92fbe77e.html
  21. Dufrense, Chris (December 30, 2006). "Eccentric Star Flourishes in Boise State's Small Spotlight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  22. Kreidler, Mark (November 20, 2006). "Big-Time Baller". ESPN. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  23. Hoffarth, Tom (January 7, 2007). "New year, same story". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
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