Gary Johnson (American football)
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | August 31, 1952 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Shreveport, Louisiana | ||||||||
| Date of death: | August 4, 2010 (aged 57) | ||||||||
| Place of death: | Shreveport, Louisiana | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Charlotte Mitchell High School | ||||||||
| College: | Grambling | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Games played: | 157 |
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| Sacks: | 16.0 |
| Interceptions: | 2 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Gary "Big Hands" Johnson (August 31, 1952 – August 4, 2010) was an American football player in the National Football League (NFL). The defensive tackle was a three-time All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He played the majority of his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, and he was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Johnson played college football for the Grambling State Tigers. He was drafted by San Diego in the 1975 NFL Draft in the first round with the eighth overall pick. Johnson was named to the NFL All-Rookie team in his first season. The Chargers won three consecutive division titles from 1979 through 1981. Their defense led the league in sacks in 1980 behind Johnson's team-record 17 1⁄2 sacks. In 1984, Johnson was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, and he won a Super Bowl with the team that season. Johnson retired after the 49ers season in 1985.
He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and was named to both the Chargers' 40th and 50th anniversary teams.
Johnson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and grew up in Bossier City. When Johnson was in the eighth grade, he wanted to pick up a basketball in his physical education class when his coach said, "Get your big hands off my basketball." The nickname "Big Hands" was born. He played football at Charlotte Mitchell High School, and later played college football at Grambling State University for their Tigers football team.
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