Augustus Cornelius Johnson Jr. (born ) is an American sportscaster. He is the lead

play-by-play In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...

announcer for

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...

calling

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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

and

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

. Prior to working with Fox, he was with

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...

Early life and education

Johnson was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. He graduated in 1985 from the

University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy was founded in 1877, and is one of two Jesuit high schools in the city of Detroit, Michigan, the other being Loyola High School. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, the s ...

. He was an all-league

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

and co-captain of the school's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

team, an all-league

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

, co-captain and

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team and a first baseman and catcher on the

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

team. Johnson graduated from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

with a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

in 1990 and was a four-year letter winner on the baseball team.

Career

Early career

Johnson called play-by-play for the NBA's

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

(1996–97),

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

basketball on the

Big East Network Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

college hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

and

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

and

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...

games for

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially fo ...

, and NFL games for CBS from 1998 to 2010. Johnson hosted

's ''Black College Sports Today'' in 1991. After brief stints as an on-air personality with

KXXV-TV KXXV (channel 25) is a television station in Waco, Texas, United States, serving Central Texas as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains studios on South New Road in Waco, and its transmitter is located nea ...

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

, WAAY-TV in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

, and WXII-TV in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the Li ...

, he served as the weekend anchor for

WTTG WTTG (channel 5) is a television station in Washington, D.C., airing programming from the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside MyNetworkTV outlet WDCA (channel 20). WTTG and WDCA sh ...

in Washington, D.C. from 1991 to 1992. He also had a small cameo as an announcer in the 1998 film ''

He Got Game ''He Got Game'' is a 1998 American sports drama film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. The film revolves around Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington), father of the top-ranked basketball pr ...

''.

Roles

Johnson called play-by-play for numerous sports for

, including the network's coverage of March Madness from 1996 to 2011. Among the memorable games that Johnson has called are

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

's 17-point comeback over Gonzaga in 2006, the double-overtime Xavier vs. Kansas State game on March 25, 2010 and

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...

's upset of Villanova in 2011. He also announced the

Big Ten Network Big Ten Network (BTN) is an American sports network based in Chicago, Illinois. The channel is dedicated to coverage of collegiate sports sanctioned by the Big Ten Conference, including live and recorded event telecasts, news, analysis programs ...

's Sunday-night basketball games. Johnson worked for the Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) from 1994 to 2010, where he was the radio and backup television play-by-play announcer for the NBA's

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

and the television play-by-play announcer for the WNBA's

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was ...

. Johnson has also hosted MSG studio shows focused on the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

, Rangers and Knicks. He called 20

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

games during the 2015–16 season on Fox Sports Wisconsin. Johnson also handled play-by-play duties for the inaugural season of

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international play ...

basketball. He has announced preseason television games for the NFL's

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

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

as well as the Arena Football League's

New York Dragons The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Dragons participated in the Arena Football League's (AFL) National Conference as a member of the Eastern Division. The team was founded i ...

. Johnson has called MSG's coverage of the

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nationa ...

as well as ''

Showtime Championship Boxing ''Showtime Championship Boxing'' is a television boxing program airing on Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it is broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month. ''Showtime Championship Boxing'', which is very similar to ''HBO World Champ ...

'' on Showtime, replacing longtime voice Steve Albert. Johnson was also a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

commentator for both

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

and Strikeforce through until 2011. Johnson drew scorn for his commentary during the Kimbo Slice vs.

Seth Petruzelli Seth Christopher Petruzelli (born December 3, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and entrepreneur. Petruzelli competed in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions for the UFC, WEC, EliteXC, ...

fight, in which he announced that the fight was "the most incredible victory in the history of mixed martial arts." Johnson has lent his voice for the play-by-play commentary in the video games '' NCAA Basketball 10,'' ''

Madden NFL 11 ''Madden NFL 11'' is an American football video game based on the National Football League, published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling ''Madden NFL'' video game franchise. It was releas ...

'' and ''

Madden NFL 12 ''Madden NFL 12'' is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It was released on August 30, 2011 in North America and Asia, September 1, 2011 in Australia, and Septem ...

''. He was also heard as the play-by-play announcer for the fictional football games seen in commercials for

Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Wild Wings (originally Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, hence the nickname BDubs, or BW3) is an American casual dining restaurant and sports bar franchise in the United States, Canada, India, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, a ...

. Before the 2010–11 NBA season, Johnson left MSG Network to spend more time with his son. CBS released him on May 5, 2011 following a contract dispute. On May 9, 2011, he finalized a deal to call college football and NFL telecasts for

. In 2012, Johnson served as radio play-by-play announcer of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

. He called his first

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

match on February 13, 2013 but stepped down as Fox's lead soccer announcer in 2014. In August 2021, Fox Sports announced that Johnson would announce "select" NFL games for the 2021 season with former NFL player Aqib Talib. Gus Johnson worked as a Play by play man for the First Round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs for TNT and NBATV. In September 2021, Johnson was challenged by comedian Gus Johnson to an athletic competition for the Twitter handle @GusJohnson, as the sportscaster has not tweeted since 2012.

Announcing style

Johnson's high-energy style has resulted in a polarized response from sports fans. He often uses signature phrases like "Hurt My Feelings!", "Oh my goodness!", "Rise and fire... Count it!", "Here comes the pain!", "He's got 'get away from the cops' speed!", "From the parking lot!", "And the runner... bang!", "Pure!", "BAM!", "Hot Sauce!", "Cold-Blooded!", "What a game!", "Down the Sideline!" and "HA-HAAA". Despite being known for his catchphrases, Johnson also utilizes silence at opportune times to let television viewers absorb the moment, such as during a 2015 college football matchup between Notre Dame and

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. S ...

when Stanford kicked the game-winning field goal at the end of a high-scoring game.

Notable calls

As Knicks announcer – With the Knicks, Johnson was well-known for calls such as "My name is Al Harrington... and I get buckets!" Perhaps Johnson's most famous Knicks call was his enthusiastic description of

Allan Houston Allan Wade Houston (born April 20, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2005. A shooting guard, Houston played nine seasons for the New York Knicks; he wa ...

's last-second shot to defeat the top-seeded

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

in the first round of the 1998–1999 NBA playoffs. March 23, 2006 – During the

2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball seaso ...

, Johnson was calling the Sweet 16 matchup between

and Gonzaga. Gonzaga held a 71–70 lead with just 19.7 seconds left in the game, needing to wind the clock down while passing the ball in from its own side of the court:

Johnson: They throw it to Morrison. He holds on.
Analyst
Len Elmore Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ *Le ...
: You don't want to foul Morrison. You make them get it over half court, you know you gotta foul- '' CLA_guard_Jordan_Farmar_steals_the_ball_from_Gonzaga_forward_J._P._Batista.html" ;"title="Jordan_Farmar.html" ;"title="CLA guard Jordan Farmar">CLA guard Jordan Farmar steals the ball from Gonzaga forward J. P. Batista">Jordan_Farmar.html" ;"title="CLA guard Jordan Farmar">CLA guard Jordan Farmar steals the ball from Gonzaga forward J. P. Batista]'' Woah!
Johnson: And a steal! Farmar! Inside... the freshman up- ''[nearly inaudible over the crowd cheering as UCLA forward Luc Mbah a Moute scores a layup]'' Oh and they go in front! Raivio! Last chance to dance! '' naudible as Mbah a Moute steals the ball via a jump ball before Gonzaga commits a foul, leaving just over two seconds left' Mbah a Moute!
Elmore: Unbelievable!
Johnson: Oh what a game!
Elmore: Unbelievable!
Johnson: What a game!
Elmore: Unbelievable!
Johnson: UCLA! Unbelievable!
Elmore: Are you kidding me?!
Johnson: After being down by 17, heartbreak city!
Elmore: Holy mackerel!

Following this sequence, Gonzaga had one last chance to score a game-winning basket, once again throwing the ball in from its side of the court.

Johnson: In the frontcourt, Batista with THE CAATCH! '' atista shoots before the buzzer, but misses' And that's it! WHAT A COMEBACK! UCLA defeats Gonzaga 73–71 after being down by 17!

As the game wound up having a tight finish, Johnson received praise for his enthusiastic announcing, earning the nickname "Screaming Gus Johnson". The next day, CBS Sports host

Greg Gumbel Greg Gumbel (born May 3, 1946) is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments for CBS Sports (most notably, the National Football League and NCAA basketball). The older brother of news and sportscaster Brya ...

later joked that Johnson would be "out of the hospital" by the next game. September 13, 2009 – Johnson was calling an NFL regular season opening game between the

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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

. During the waning seconds of the game, Denver, down 6–7, needed to drive down the field to get into field goal range or score a touchdown. Quarterback

Kyle Orton Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL D ...

threw a pass to receiver Brandon Marshall near the sideline. Though the ball was tipped by Bengals defender

Leon Hall Leon Lastarza Hall (born December 9, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football for the University of Michigan, and earned consensus All-American honors. Hall was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first rou ...

, it landed into the hands of Broncos receiver

Brandon Stokley Brandon Ray Stokley (born June 23, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver and current radio personality. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of Lo ...

, who ran it in for an improbable game-winning touchdown. Johnson's call of the play is as follows:

Johnson: Second down and 10 at the 13 ard line
Analyst
Dan Fouts Daniel Francis Fouts (born June 10, 1951) is an American former football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) throughout his 15-season career (1973-87). After a relatively undistinguished fi ...
: In other words, about 60 yards o get into field goal range
Johnson: Orton in the gun, Buckhalter right next to him. Orton... pumps again to the sideline... batted up- OH, CAUGHT! STOKLEY! DOWN THE SIDELINE! CAN HE CATCH HIM!? STOKLEY! WOW! '' ause' Touchdown Denver! Unbelievable! '' ause' Oh my goodness! What a play! 87 yards! '' ause' ''Woah!''"

In a later interview on ''

The Dan Patrick Show ''The Dan Patrick Show'' is a syndicated radio and television sports talk show, hosted by former ESPN personality Dan Patrick. It is currently produced by Patrick and is syndicated to radio stations by Premiere Radio Networks, within and indepe ...

'', Johnson later explained of the play: "I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. It was the most incredible thing. I’ve seen a lot of great things in sports. I started doing this in 1990, but I’ve never seen anything; not like in that in football. I mean wow." November 1, 2009 – Johnson was calling another regular season NFL game, this time between the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

and

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

when Titans running back Chris Johnson broke away for a 52-yard touchdown. This was Gus Johnson's call:

First down and 10... Johnson... gets a shoulder he's- WOW! Watch out! He's got ''gettin' away from the cops speed!'' Touchdown! '' ause' 52 yards!

Though Gus Johnson received some criticism for this call, it has nonetheless become one of his most famous, as

Complex magazine Complex Networks is an American media and entertainment company for youth culture, based in New York City. It was founded as a bi-monthly magazine, ''Complex'', by fashion designer Marc (Ecko) Milecofsky. Complex Networks reports on popular ...

named it his top call in 2013. November 14, 2010 – Johnson was announcing another Jacksonville Jaguars game, this time against their

AFC South The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned di ...

rivals the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their home games at NR ...

. With 0:03 left in regulation, the score tied at 24, and the ball at midfield, the Jaguars and quarterback

David Garrard David Douglas Garrard (born February 14, 1978) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at East Carolina and wa ...

had a chance to win the game and avoid a potential overtime loss. The ball was snapped, Garrard stepped into the pocket, and launched the ball 50 yards downfield into the endzone to his target, receiver

Mike Sims-Walker Michael Anthony Sims-Walker (born Michael Anthony Walker on November 21, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He most recently played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonvill ...

. Texans safety

Glover Quin Glover Freeman Quin Jr. (; born January 15, 1986) is a former American football safety. He played college football at New Mexico and Southwest Mississippi Community College, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2009 ...

batted the ball down, but the ball miraculously landed in the hands of Jaguars receiver Mike Thomas, resulting in a touchdown, a win for the Jaguars, and one of Gus Johnson’s most memorable calls:

Johnson: Garrard… steps up… fires, Mike Sims-Walker…! 'Ball is batted down''Knocked down- 'Ball lands in the hands of Thomas'' Analyst
Steve Tasker Steven Jay Tasker (born April 10, 1962) is an American sports reporter, locally in Western New York on the MSG Western New York cable TV station, and on WGR Radio and formerly for CBS Sports. He is a former football player who was a wide receive ...
: OH, HE CAUGHT IT! Johnson: OHH! UNBELIEVABLE! MIKE THOMAS! TOUCHDOWN, JAGS! BALLGAME! FIFTY YARDS! 'Pause''WHOA!

October 7, 2017 – As the play-by-play announcer of a college football game between

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, Johnson added some playful commentary after Ohio State cornerback

Denzel Ward Denzel Nehemiah Ward (born April 28, 1997) is an American football cornerback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State. Early life Ward attended Nordonia High School in Macedonia, ...

laid a vicious hit on Maryland receiver Taivon Jacobs. Though the play ultimately resulted in Ward's ejection from the game, Johnson's enthusiasm was noted:

Second down after the 7-yard gain... aryland quarterbackBortenschlager to the sideline, caught, first down. '' ard levels Jacobs, causing a fumbleWhoo!'' What a hit! Denzel Ward! You've got barbecue back there, and you didn't invite me? ''Hurt! My! Feelings!''

December 8, 2018 – Johnson called the 2018 Citi Hoops Classic match-up between the

Seton Hall Pirates The Seton Hall Pirates are the intercollegiate athletic sports teams representing Seton Hall University, located in South Orange, New Jersey. The Pirates compete as a member of the NCAA Division I level (non-football sub-level), primarily compe ...

and the 9th ranked

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,47 ...

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

, where Keldon Johnson took a pass from

P. J. Washington Paul Jamaine Washington Jr. (born August 23, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. After being selecte ...

and made a half-court shot at the buzzer to tie the game at 70. Johnson's call of the final seconds of regulation:

Here's P.J. Washington, he can run the baseline. Throws it, midcourt, Keldon Johnson! '' uzzer sounds' OHH! HE BURIED IT! WOW! AND WE'RE – LEVEL AT 70! Whoo! Unbelieveable. And we're going to overtime... at the Garden!

September 18, 2021 – On the 50th anniversary of the " Game of the Century" between

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, Johnson was the play-by-play announcer when the two teams faced each other again. During the fourth quarter, Oklahoma DB D.J. Graham made a one-handed interception on fourth down, leading to a notable call by Johnson, who referenced a similar one-handed touchdown catch made by Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014:

Martinez, steps up, throws ... OHH, WHAT AN INTERCEPTION! OH MY GOSH! D.J. Graham! ''Gimme that Odell!''

September 19, 2021 – After returning to NFL duties for Fox, Johnson called the Week 2 NFL matchup between the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

and Cardinals, which came down to the Vikings attempting a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation, behind 34–33. The kick from

Greg Joseph Greg Joseph (born 4 August 1994) is a South African professional American football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida Atlantic. He made his NFL debut in 2018 with ...

sailed to the right of the goalposts, leaving Johnson flabbergasted:

Good snap, clean hold, for the winnnn...OHHHHH MY GOODNESS, HE MISSED IT! (pause) UNBELIEVABLE! And the Cardinals survive...34...33! You're watching the NFL, folks! On ''F-O-X!''"

September 26, 2021 – Merely a week later in Week 3, Johnson was assigned again to a Cardinals game, this time against the

Jaguars The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

. Cardinal placekicker

Matt Prater Matthew Phillip Prater (born August 10, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best long distance kickers in NFL history, he held the NFL record for lon ...

attempted a 68-yard field goal before halftime to top his previous league record 64-yarder in 2013, with the Jaguars readying Jamal Agnew for a possible return of a miss from the end zone. With Prater's kick trajectory short (by coincidence,

Justin Tucker Justin Paul Tucker (born November 21, 1989) is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 201 ...

would hit a 66-yard winner in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

the same day, winning the game for

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

and earning the record), Agnew caught the ball 109 yards away in the Jaguars end zone, setting up Johnson for an enthusiastic call of his 'kick-six' runback:

So here we go, Matt Prater, ready to attempt a 68-yarder, for NFL history. Got it up...it's short! Agnew, brings it out of the end zone. Agnew...still running. AGNEW...DOWN THE SIDELINE! AGNEW! TOUCHDOWN, JACKSONVILLE! A hundred...and...nine...yards. INCREDIBLE! '' ause' Oh my goodness, watch this! (cuts to replay with Aqib Talib's analysis of the play)

Johnson's call, which had him screaming at the top of his lungs, was well received by several fans and commentators.

References

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