Former Bruin Turned NFL Hall of Famer Passes Away at Age 86

Rest in peace.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Former UCLA football star and San Francisco 49ers legend Jimmy Johnson has died at age 86, his family informed the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Johnson, who eventually went on to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, began his career at UCLA as a dual-sport athlete, competing for the Bruins in both track and field and football.

At UCLA, Johnson was versatile both on the gridiron as well as the track. In track, Johnson was a team captain, an All-American, and an NCAA 110-meter hurdle champion with a time of 14 seconds. In football, Johnson was a two-way player, playing as both a wingback and defensive back for the Bruins. He totaled 812 yards from scrimmage in 1959 and 1960, but wished he had contributed even more for the team despite winning the UCLA Iron Man award in one season for playing the most minutes on the team.

“I played a lot of football, maybe not as much as I wanted to,” Johnson said of his days at UCLA, via the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I could have played 60 minutes.”

Following his time at UCLA, Johnson was drafted sixth overall in the 1961 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent his entire career. The cornerback made an immediate impact for the 49ers as a rookie, intercepting five passes for 116 return yards. The 49ers actually wanted to use him as a receiver during his rookie season, but he broke his wrist before training camp that year. So, they instead used him at corner, where he still garnered five picks. Johnson then shifted to wide receiver in his second NFL season, catching 34 passes for 627 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 18.4 yards per catch before returning to corner the next year.

Considered one of the best man-to-man corners in NFL history, Johnson compiled 47 interceptions during his 16-year career with the 49ers. He likely would have had more interceptions in his career, but opposing quarterbacks knew better than to throw to him, earning him the nickname, 'The Lonesome Cornerback.' Hall of Fame quarterbacks and wide receivers Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Bart Starr, and Fred Biletnikoff have acknowledged how tough an opponent Johnson was, either hoping he'd make a mistake or simply avoiding him.

“Jimmy Johnson was extraordinarily athletically talented. The 49ers enjoyed the luxury of using him on offense and defense early in his career to fill team needs,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said. “Once he settled in at left cornerback, he flourished. The notion that a ‘lockdown’ cornerback could cut the field in half for the opposition was true with Jimmy."

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is saddened to share the news that the Class of 1994's Jimmy Johnson has passed away at age 86. #HOFForever

More info: https://t.co/Rikll8EsV1 pic.twitter.com/tGIdRgbQXB

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) May 9, 2024

During his career, Johnson was a four-time First-Team All-Pro from 1969-72, and a four-time second-team All-Pro from 1964-66, and in 1968. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, and a starting cornerback on the prestigious NFL 1970s All-Decade Team. He won the George Halas Award in 1972 for courageous play after playing through a broken hand the second half of the year.

Despite many great 49ers playing for the team after Johnson's retirement, including the 1980s dynasty under Bill Walsh, he undoubtedly left a lasting legacy on the franchise. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and his No. 37 jersey was retired in 1977.

Only Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott has more career interceptions for the 49ers than Johnson, and only Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice has played more games for the 49ers than Johnson, who played in 213 games. Johnson could have challenged Rice's 49ers record of 238 games played, but he played in the era of 14-game seasons.

He was later inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He is one of only six former Bruins to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.