Alonzo Al Johnson (April 4, 1963 – February 1, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s. Johnson played college football for the Florida Gators, and was recognized twice as a first-team All-American. He was selected in the second round of the 1986 NFL draft.
| No. 54 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
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| Born: | April 4, 1963 Panama City, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died: | February 1, 2024 (aged 60) Bay County, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 222 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Rutherford (Panama City) | ||||||||||
| College: | Florida | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1986 / round: 2 / pick: 48 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Early life
editAlonzo Al Johnson was born in Panama City, Florida.[1] He attended Rutherford High School in Panama City,[2] where he was a standout high school football player for the Rutherford Rams.
College career
editJohnson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Charley Pell and coach Galen Hall's Florida Gators football teams from 1982 to 1985.[3] Johnson was a key member of the Gators' defense in 1984 and 1985 when the Gators posted identical 9–1–1 overall win–loss records and led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with best-in-the-conference records of 5–0–1 and 5–1, respectively. He was a first-team All-SEC selection and a first-team All-American in 1984 and 1985, and also a team captain both years.[3] He finished his four-year college career with 335 tackles, 55 tackles for a loss and 27 quarterback sacks.[3]
Johnson was later voted to the Florida Gators' All-Century Team and All-Time Team,[3] and inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."[4][5] In 2006, he was ranked as No. 35 among the top 100 Gators of the first century of Florida football by the sportswriters of The Gainesville Sun.[6]
Professional career
editJohnson was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round (48th overall) of the 1986 NFL draft.[7] He played for the Eagles from 1986 to 1987.[8] As a rookie, he played in fifteen games and started nine of them at rightside linebacker, with three interceptions.[1] He left the Eagles before the beginning of the 1987 season in order to enter a drug rehabilitation program,[9] and subsequently only played in three games for the Eagles in 1987.[1] He was placed on the non-football injury list in December 1987,[10] and did not play again.[1]
Death
editJohnson died in Bay County, Florida, on February 1, 2024, at the age of 60.[11]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Alonzo Johnson. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, Alonzo Johnson Archived June 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ a b c d 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 87, 92, 96, 98, 124, 153, 182 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011.
- ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ "Nine Former Gators Named to UF Hall of Fame Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine," GatorZone.com (April 4, 2002). Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ^ Robbie Andreu & Pat Dooley, "No. 35 Alonzo Johnson," The Gainesville Sun (July 30, 2006). Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ^ "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ National Football League, Historical Players, Alonzo Johnson. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ Associated Press, "Eagle Reportedly Seeks Drug Help," The New York Times (August 30, 1987). Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ Associated Press, "New setback for ex-Gator Alonzo Johnson," The Gainesville Sun, p. 9E (December 6, 1987). Retrieved May 12, 2011.
- ^ Rutherford and UF football legend Alonzo Johnson has passed away WJHG
Bibliography
edit- Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
- Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
- Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
- McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
- Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.