Ken Johnson (born January 5, 1951) was an all-star quarterback in the

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 ci ...

. Johnson was a graduate of the

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

, where he played from 1971 to 1973 and earned a degree in marketing. His career record as a starter for the Buffs was 18 wins and 5 losses. He led the Buffaloes to road wins over

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

and

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in 1971 (and a #3 national ranking) and a home win against Oklahoma in 1972. At the time his college career ended, he was ranked #3 in the history of Colorado in total offense. He began his professional career in 1974 as a back-up quarterback for the World Football League's

Portland Storm The Portland Thunder (originally Portland Storm) was an American football team in the World Football League based out of Portland, Oregon. When the World Football League was created in October 1973, the Storm was the original New York franchise. ...

. In June, 1977, Johnson was signed as a free agent by the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. Though he was on the active roster for 14 games, he saw no action with the Bills and was released on August 22, 1978. A month later, Johnson signed with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

of the

. Seeing limited action in 1978, Johnson earned the Stampeders' starting job in 1979. Appearing in all 16 regular season games, Johnson completed 56.4% of his passes (176 of 312) for 2344 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions as he led the Stampeders to a 12-4 record and a CFL playoff berth. Johnson led the CFL in passing for the 1979 season. After falling one win short of the Grey Cup game in 1979, Johnson followed up with another solid season in 1980 setting a career-high in touchdown passes (22) while completing 56.0% of his passes (218 of 389) for 3019 yards. The Stampeders finished 9-7 in 1980 and were eliminated in the first round of the CFL playoffs. The Stampeders slide would continue in 1981, which likely led to Johnson being traded after 12 games to the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...

on October 11, 1981. Overall, he would appear in 15 games that season, completing a career-high 59.3% of his passes (254 of 428) for 3364 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Johnson would not see much action with the reborn Montreal franchise,

Montreal Concordes The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...

, in 1982. He appeared in only 2 games before being traded to the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

for linebacker Duncan MacKinlay on August 4, 1982. Granted free agency on January 15, 1983, Johnson returned to the U.S. when he signed with the USFL's Denver Gold five days later. Though starting the season as a backup, Johnson would officially take over the starting job in Week 3 on a snowy Soldier Field in Chicago. Facing bitter cold, 20 mph winds, and

George Allen George Allen may refer to: Politics and law * George E. Allen (1896–1973), American political operative and one-time head coach of the Cumberland University football team * George Allen (Australian politician) (1800–1877), Mayor of Sydney and ...

's veteran-laden

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squad, Johnson led a 70 yard long game-winning drive late in the 4th quarter. Johnson dove into the endzone on 4th down with only 22 seconds remaining to cap off the drive and seal the Gold's win (Gold 16, Blitz 13). Johnson would remain the primary starter until an ankle injury ended his season during a Week 11 loss to the

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's ...

. Johnson finished the season completing 48.8% of his passes (121 of 248) for 1115 yards, and 6 touchdowns. The Gold released Johnson on January 9, 1984, and was awarded on waivers to the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the mo ...

on January 16, 1984. Johnson saw limited action as a backup to Walter Lewis during the 1984 season and retired prior to the 1985 season.

References

* 1984 Sporting News Official USFL Guide and Register, edited by Howard Balzer {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Ken Players of American football from Scottsdale, Arizona Portland Storm players Calgary Stampeders players Montreal Alouettes players Montreal Concordes players Denver Gold players Memphis Showboats players Colorado Buffaloes football players 1951 births Living people Canadian football quarterbacks Buffalo Bills players