Todd Edward Johnson (born December 18, 1978) is an American former college and professional
football player who was a
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
in the
National Football League
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 ...
(NFL) for seven seasons during the 2000s. Johnson played
college football for the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the
Chicago Bears,
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
, and
Buffalo Bills.
Early years
Johnson was born in
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...
in 1978.
[Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players]
Todd Johnson
Retrieved October 9, 2010. He attended
Riverview High School in Sarasota,
[databaseFootball.com, Players]
Todd Johnson
Retrieved October 9, 2010. where he was a standout defensive back for the Riverview Rams high school football team.
[GatorZone.com, Football History, 2002 Roster]
. Retrieved October 9, 2010. Johnson was an all-state selection and a ''SuperPrep''
All-American as a senior, and set the school record for the 110-yard intermediate hurdles in track & field.
[
]
College career
Johnson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier and coach Ron Zook
Ronald Andrew Zook (; born April 28, 1954) is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the Defensive Coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL. He was the head football coach at the University of Florida from ...
's Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division o ...
teams from 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
to 2002.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 97, 99, 125, 153–154, 182 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011. The Gators coaching staff decided to redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...
him as a true freshman in 1998, and he spent the season practicing with the scout team; subsequently, Johnson became a four-year letterman
Letterman may refer to:
* Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States
People
* David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host
** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
and started in thirty-three out of forty-nine games in which he played.[GatorZone.com, Football History, 2002 Roster]
Todd Johnson
. Retrieved October 9, 2010. As a redshirt freshman in 1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, he had twenty-four tackles, four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.[ During his sophomore season in ]2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, he started all thirteen games, led the team with a career-high 102 tackles, and had five interceptions, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, and four fumble recoveries, including one returned seventy-six yards for a touchdown, and received first-team All-Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...
(SEC) honors.[ Johnson started all eleven games as junior in 2001, tallying seventy-two tackles, three passes defensed, and two interceptions and again received first-team All-SEC honors.][ As a senior team captain in 2002, he started all thirteen games, and compiled eighty-eight tackles and two interceptions and was a second-team All-SEC selection.][ Johnson finished his Gator career with a total of 284 tackles and nine interceptions.][
Johnson graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in applied physiology and ]kinesiology
Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human healt ...
in 2009.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Chicago Bears
Johnson was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (100th pick overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. T ...
. He played for the Bears for four seasons from to .[National Football League, Historical Players]
Todd Johnson
Retrieved October 9, 2010. He did not appear in any regular season games in 2003,[ after suffering a broken jaw in a preseason game. He returned in , playing in sixteen games including ten starts, and finished the season with seventy-five tackles.][ Johnson was Mike Brown's immediate backup during his time with the Bears, and saw extended playing time following Brown's season-ending injury in 2004. The following year, , Johnson saw action in fourteen games, totaling thirty-five tackles.][ Johnson made thirty-two tackles during ,][ and was released following the season.
]
St. Louis Rams
Johnson signed a four-year $4 million contract to play with the St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
on March 12, 2007. In his first season with the Rams, he finished the campaign with 29 tackles. In 2008 Johnson made 23 tackles in a backup safety role. He was waived by the Rams on September 5, 2009.
Buffalo Bills
On October 13, 2009, Johnson signed a one-year free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson was placed on injured reserve on January 2, 2010 due to a hamstring injury.
Coaching career
Johnson became the head football coach of his alma mater, Riverview High School, in 2011.[Scott Dennis,]
Todd Johnson named new Riverview football coach
" WWSB ABC-7 News (April 6, 2011). Retrieved January 15, 2012. He has also been a fill-in substitute teacher since 2012.
See also
* Florida Gators football, 1990–99
The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division ...
* List of Buffalo Bills players
* List of Chicago Bears players
The following are lists of past and current players of the Chicago Bears professional American football team.
Historic teams
Partial inaugural (1919) roster
The following is a partial roster for the 1919 season, when the team was known as the De ...
* List of Florida Gators in the NFL Draft
The Florida Gators football program is a college football team which represents the University of Florida. The Florida Gators compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), an ...
* List of St. Louis Rams players
* List of University of Florida alumni
This list of University of Florida alumni includes current students, former students, and graduates of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Honorary degree recipients can be found on the List of University of Florida honorary degree r ...
References
Bibliography
* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). .
* Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). .
* Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Todd
1978 births
Living people
American football safeties
Buffalo Bills players
Chicago Bears players
Florida Gators football players
Players of American football from Sarasota, Florida
St. Louis Rams players
Riverview High School (Sarasota, Florida) alumni