Jim Johnson (May 26, 1941July 28, 2009) was an
American football coach, formerly serving as
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
with the
Philadelphia Eagles. Widely regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in the
National Football League (NFL)
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
, he was especially known for being a master architect of
blitzes, disguising them skillfully and keeping offenses off balance.
In more than 40 years of coaching, Johnson held head coaching duties only once (at the collegiate level), but was interviewed by the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
regarding their head coaching vacancy in 2004.
Playing career
A native of
Maywood, Illinois, Johnson played high school football for
Proviso East High School in
Maywood, Illinois. 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 ...
for head coach
Dan Devine at the
University of Missouri from 1959 to 1962.
[Brookover, Bo]
"Eagles' Jim Johnson, 68, dies of cancer"
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', Wednesday, July 29, 2009 An all-
Big Eight quarterback, Johnson played in the same backfield with long-time NFL executive
Bill Tobin. He went undrafted in the
1963 NFL Draft
The 1963 National Football League draft was held at the Sheraton in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, December 3, 1962.
The first overall selection was quarterback Terry Baker of Oregon State, the Heisman Trophy winner, taken by the Los Angeles Ram ...
, but was signed to play
tight end by the
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. ...
of the
AFL
AFL may refer to:
Sports
* American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues:
** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
(1963–64).
Coaching career
Johnson began his coaching career as head coach at
Missouri Southern
Missouri Southern State University (Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo) is a public university in Joplin, Missouri. It was established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College. The university enrolled 4,346 students in Fall 2021.
History
Missouri Souther ...
(1967–68), before serving four-year tenures at
Drake University (1969–72) and
Indiana University (1973–76). In 1977, Johnson was hired by his former head coach at Missouri, Dan Devine, as defensive backs coach at
University of Notre Dame. After helping the
1977 Fighting Irish to win the
national championship in his first year, Johnson was later promoted to defensive coordinator and assistant head coach under
Gerry Faust.
Leaving Notre Dame in 1984, Johnson coached in the short-lived
USFL with the
Oklahoma Outlaws
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 M ...
(1984) and
Jacksonville Bulls (1985). In 1986, he finally entered the NFL as a coach, spending eight seasons with the
St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1986–93). After overseeing the Cards
defensive line for four seasons, Johnson excelled as their secondary coach, helping
Aeneas Williams
Aeneas Demetrius Williams (; born January 29, 1968) is an American former football cornerback and safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Arizona Cardinals franchise. He played college football ...
become the first rookie
cornerback to lead the league in
interceptions (6) since 1981.
[McLane, Jeff & Brookover, Bo]
"Johnson left his mark on players and fellow coaches"
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', Wednesday, July 29, 2009
In 1994, he joined the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
as linebackers coach under head coach
Ted Marchibroda
Theodore Joseph Marchibroda (March 15, 1931 – January 16, 2016) was an American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League (NFL). He spent his four years as an active player with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1953, 1955&nd ...
. After defensive coordinator
Vince Tobin left the Colts in 1996 to become head coach of the Cardinals, Johnson was deemed his successor by new Colts head coach
Lindy Infante
Gelindo "Lindy" Infante (March 27, 1940 – October 8, 2015) was an American football player and coach, who became an offensive coordinator and head coach in both the National Football League (NFL) and the United States Football League (USFL). ...
. The Colts finished last in the
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the d ...
in 1997, causing Infante and his staff to be fired.
Johnson spent the
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.
The season culminated with Super Bowl XXXIII, with the Denver Broncos defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34–19 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. The Broncos had won ...
as linebackers coach on the final staff of
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 ...
head coach
Dennis Erickson, before leaving for Philadelphia. He helped the Seahawks register 10 TDs on defense, including 8 INTs returned for scores, 2nd most in NFL history. If Johnson had stayed, he could have stepped into the coordinator's role when
Fritz Shurmur died of cancer that summer.
On January 22, 1999, Eagles head coach Andy Reid targeted and hired Jim Johnson as the Eagles new defensive coordinator. Johnson's tenure in Philadelphia was his most successful, as the Eagles won 5 division titles, each reaping the benefits of his defenses. Because head coach
Andy Reid is known more for his acumen on the offensive side of the ball, he handed complete control of the defensive unit of the team to Johnson, allowing Reid to concentrate on running the offense with his
offensive coordinators
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
,
Brad Childress
Bradley Childress (born June 27, 1956) is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 19 ...
and later
Marty Mornhinweg
Marty Mornhinweg (born March 29, 1962) is an American football coach and former player who was a senior offensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was the offensive coordinator for the San Francis ...
.
Reid repeatedly said he had full confidence in Johnson and the Eagles rewarded him accordingly, as he became one of the highest paid coordinators in the NFL. "As I've said many times, Jim Johnson is the best in the business at what he does", said Reid upon signing his prized defensive coordinator to a lucrative four-year contract extension in 2005. "His defensive units continue to produce at a very high level as he puts a lot of pressure on opposing offenses."
From 2000–07, Johnson's units rank tied for first in the NFL with 342 sacks, second in the league in 3rd down efficiency (34.3%) and red zone touchdown percentage (43.0%), and fourth in fewest points allowed (17.6 per game).
In 2001, Johnson's unit became the fourth team in NFL history to go all 16 games without allowing more than 21 points. Their streak of allowing 21 or fewer in 34 straight games was second longest in NFL history (Minnesota, 1968–71). In 1999, Johnson's unit forced an NFL-best 46 turnovers, including a team-record 5 interceptions returned for TDs.
Eagles defenders were selected for the Pro Bowl 26 times during Johnson's tenure. Former Eagle
Brian Dawkins
Brian Patrick Dawkins Sr. (born October 13, 1973) is an American former football safety who played 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Clemson and was drafted b ...
led the way with seven. Other Eagles defenders to go to the Pro Bowl under Johnson include
Troy Vincent
Troy Darnell Vincent (born June 8, 1970) is a former American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dolphins as the 7th ...
(five),
Jeremiah Trotter (four),
Hugh Douglas (three),
Lito Sheppard (two), and
Trent Cole,
Michael Lewis,
Asante Samuel
Asante T. Samuel Sr. (born January 6, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was born in Accra, Ghana and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He played college fo ...
,
Corey Simon,
Bobby Taylor (one each).
Current NFL head coaches
John Harbaugh (special teams and defensive backs),
Ron Rivera (linebackers), and
Sean McDermott
Sean Michael McDermott (born March 21, 1974) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, ...
(defensive backs and linebackers) coached under Johnson with the Eagles.
Illness and death
Shortly after the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs, on January 29, 2009, it was announced that Johnson was undergoing treatment for
melanoma
Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...
. In mid-May, Johnson announced a leave of absence due to the advancement of the cancer, with secondary coach
Sean McDermott
Sean Michael McDermott (born March 21, 1974) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, ...
taking over duties as the interim defensive coordinator.
On July 24, 2009, Johnson officially resigned as defensive coordinator, with McDermott having the interim tag removed. Four days later, on July 28, 2009, Johnson died at the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 68.
Head coaching record
College
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jim
1941 births
2009 deaths
American football quarterbacks
American football tight ends
Arizona Cardinals coaches
Buffalo Bills players
Indianapolis Colts coaches
Missouri Southern Lions football coaches
Missouri Tigers football players
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coaches
Seattle Seahawks coaches
Philadelphia Eagles coaches
National Football League defensive coordinators
United States Football League coaches
Sportspeople from Maywood, Illinois
Deaths from melanoma
Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania
American Football League players