Gary Johnson terrified opposing quarterbacks from his days at Grambling State all the way to the NFL, capping his legendary career with a dominant Super Bowl championship performance.
Football Bio
August 31, 1952 – Gary Johnson, a former defensive end from Grambling State University, was born.
The College Football Hall of Fame selected him to enter its ranks of collegiate gridiron legends in the 2010 class of entrants.
In the 1975 NFL draft, the San Diego Chargers drafted him eighth overall, and he played for most of his career there.
He was able to play on the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl 19 winning team that gave Miami quarterback Dan Marino fits all game, which prompted Sports Illustrated to dub him the unofficial defensive most valuable player of that game.
Super Bowl 19. That is quite an honor. When you have a big publication like Sports Illustrated, you’re calling you out and saying that you should have been the most valuable player on the defense for that game, giving fits to a big-time quarterback like Dan Marino, even though he was early on in his career there. [National Football Foundation]
Gary Johnson cemented his legacy as a relentless pass rusher who stepped up when the lights shone brightest, leaving an unforgettable mark on both collegiate and professional football history.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
- Won Super Bowl XIX with the San Francisco 49ers (1984 season).
- Selected to four consecutive NFL Pro Bowls (1979–1982).
- Named First-team All-Pro twice (1980, 1981) and Second-team All-Pro once (1979).
- Selected 8th overall in the 1975 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.
- Inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame (1999).
- Named to the Chargers 40th and 50th Anniversary Teams.
- Led the NFL in sacks (unofficially) with 17.5 in the 1980 season.
Gary “Big Hands” Johnson with the San Diego Chargers c. 1982
