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PITJOHNSON—

John Henry Johnson

Retired

Houston Oilers · FB-HB

John Henry Johnson recorded 130 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 13 rostered seasons with Houston Oilers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers.

▶Best highlights

52.3

rush yds/gm

11.4

rec yds/gm

2

playoff games

130

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A provisional five-game introduction to John Henry Johnson's most significant indexed performances.

Regular Season
1964
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
CLEVELANDBROWNS
OCT 10, 1964

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns

Regular Season · Oct 10, 1964

200 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 1 rec

Regular Season
1960
PHILADELPHIAEAGLES
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
DEC 11, 1960

Philadelphia Eagles vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Regular Season · Dec 11, 1960

182 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 1 rec

Regular Season
1963
W
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
WSH
NOV 17, 1963

Pittsburgh Steelers vs WSH

Regular Season · Nov 17, 1963

105 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 3 rec

Regular Season
1962
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
NOV 4, 1962

Minnesota Vikings vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Regular Season · Nov 4, 1962

91 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 3 rec

Regular Season
1954
DETROITLIONS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
OCT 24, 1954

Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers

Regular Season · Oct 24, 1954

83 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 3 rec

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from John Henry Johnson's indexed NFL box scores.

Career highs: 200 rushing yards · 3 rushing touchdowns

Regular Season
1964
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
CLEVELANDBROWNS
OCT 10, 1964

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns

Regular Season · Oct 10, 1964

200 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 1 rec

Career high: 62 receiving yards

Regular Season
1961
W
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
WSH
DEC 10, 1961

Pittsburgh Steelers vs WSH

Regular Season · Dec 10, 1961

57 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 2 rec

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped John Henry Johnson's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1946–1957

01
SFJOHNSON—John Henry Johnson
SFPERRY—Joe Perry
SFTITTLE—Y.A. Tittle

The Million Dollar Backfield introduces pro football to the West

San Francisco 49ers · The AAFC 49ers

San Francisco joined the AAFC with a fast, integrated roster and carried its star-studded backfield into the NFL.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1951–1958

02
DETJOHNSON—John Henry Johnson
DETLAYNE—Bobby Layne
DETWALKER—Doak Walker

Three championships in six seasons

Detroit Lions · The 1950s dynasty

Layne's fearless passing and a loaded defense made Detroit the decade's defining challenger to Cleveland.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1959–1988

03
DETJOHNSON—John Henry Johnson
DETLEBEAU—Dick LeBeau
DETBARNEY—Lem Barney

Great defenders and Billy Sims cannot sustain a winner

Detroit Lions · The long wait

Detroit produced elite players but only intermittent contention, and Sims's career-altering injury removed the brightest offensive hope.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1933–1968

04
PITJOHNSON—John Henry Johnson
PITSTAUTNER—Ernie Stautner
PITLAYNE—Bobby Layne

Survival, wartime mergers and rare contention

Pittsburgh Steelers · Before the Steelers dynasty

Pittsburgh endured one playoff appearance in its first 36 seasons before the Rooney family entrusted a new coach with a patient rebuild.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1960–1966

05
TENJOHNSON—John Henry Johnson
TENBLANDA—George Blanda
TENCANNON—Billy Cannon

Wide-open offense wins the first two league titles

Tennessee Titans · The AFL champion Oilers

Houston won the first two AFL championships and reached a third behind Blanda's passing and one of the young league's most explosive attacks.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

13 NFL seasons130 career games25 career passing yards2 career passing touchdowns6,803 career rushing yards48 career rushing touchdowns186 career receptions1,478 career receiving yards7 career receiving touchdownsCollege: St. Mary's (CA)2 playoff appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 26, 1954Most recent: Dec 18, 1966

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history