Pete Johnson (born Willie James Hammock; March 2, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 1977 NFL draft. A dependable short-yardage back, Johnson had four of his eight seasons result in at least ten touchdowns, with the 1979 and 1983 seasons seeing him score 14 touchdowns each. In the 1981 season, he had his only 1,000-yard season in rushing yards that saw him play a key part in the postseason run that culminated in the first Super Bowl appearance in Bengals history; Johnson led all playoff rushers in attempts with 52. At the end of his career in 1984, he was one of just seventeen players with at least 80 career touchdowns in NFL history.

Early life Born in Fort Valley, Georgia and raised by his great-grandparents, Johnson attended Peach County High School for three years where he played football. He was often called Pete due to his perpetual chasing of a Peter Pan ice-cream truck. Upon the death of his great-grandfather, he moved to New York to live with his mother where he graduated from Long Beach High School in Long Beach, New York, playing football for his senior season. Around seventh grade, he took the "pen name" of Pete Johnson, using his father's last name (upon attending Ohio State, to alleviate confusion over attending class under his the name of Hammock, he legally had his name changed to Johnson).

College career Johnson played fullback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1973 through 1976. In 1973, starting fullback Champ Henson was injured and converted linebacker Bruce Elia was named to start in Henson's place. By the end of that season, freshman Johnson had worked his way up the depth chart. Elia returned to the linebacker corps in 1974, and Henson along with Johnson alternated at fullback.

Although two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin got most of the carries at tailback from 1972 to 1975, the Ohio State fullbacks still got the ball frequently and were expected to be major contributors, particularly in short-yardage situations. In 1972, the team's leading scorer was Henson, and in 1973 it was Elia. Johnson's best season was in 1975. Even though Griffin led the team with 1,450 rushing yards, Johnson still rushed for 1,059 yards and set single season records for rushing touchdowns (25) and scoring (156 points).

One of Johnson's more notable performances was in his junior season against North Carolina. While Griffin rushed for 157 yards, Johnson rushed for 148 yards and set a school record with five touchdowns. He finished his career at Ohio State with 2,308 rushing yards and a school record 58 touchdowns (also a Big Ten Conference record). His 348 points was a Buckeyes' record until he was surpassed by kicker Mike Nugent's 356 points in 2004.

In 2000, Johnson was selected for the Buckeyes All-Century Team. In 2007, he was inducted into the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame (with the official induction occurring on September 7) and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.

Professional career A bruising runner and competent blocker, Johnson was a mainstay in the Bengals backfield. He was the team's leading rusher for all seven seasons he played for them, and scored 12 or more rushing touchdowns in three different seasons. His best season was in 1981, where he made his only Pro Bowl selection. Johnson set career highs in rushing (1,077 yards), receptions (46), receiving yards (320) and touchdowns (16), leading the team to a with home field advantage for the

In the postseason, Johnson helped the team record their first ever playoff win by rushing for 45 yards, catching 3 passes for 23 yards, and scoring a touchdown in the Bengals' divisional victory over the Buffalo Bills. In the AFC title game (known in NFL lore as the Freezer Bowl), Johnson rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a 14-yard reception as the team defeated the high-scoring San Diego Chargers to earn their first Super Bowl appearance. Cincinnati lost Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome to the San Francisco 49ers, who limited Johnson to just 36 rushing yards and 8 receiving yards. In 1983, he played in just eleven games as he was suspended for the first four games of the season by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle after complying with a federal investigation into cocaine trafficking; granted immunity for his testimony, Johnson testified that he had purchased cocaine numerous times in 1980 and 1981.

Prior to the start of the 1984 season, owing to contract demands and disagreements with the team over his weight, Johnson was traded to the Chargers in exchange for running back James Brooks. He left Cincinnati as their all-time leader in rushing yards (5,421), touchdowns (70), and second all-time scorer with 420 points. Johnson spent the first three games of the 1984 season with Chargers. The Miami Dolphins, in need of a back after the injury of Andra Franklin and failed acquisitions of Chuck Muncie and Rickey Young due to drug testing, acquired Johnson in late September. Johnson spent the final 13 games with Miami. In the 1985 offseason, the team tried to get him to lose weight as part of a contract offer, as he weighed over 280 pounds in May. Tasked with getting to 255 pounds by July, he apparently did not show up for the weigh-in for the team and ultimately never played again.

In his eight NFL seasons, Johnson rushed for 5,626 yards, caught 175 passes for 1,334 yards, and scored 82 touchdowns (76 rushing, 6 receiving); at the time of his retirement, he was sixth in NFL history in rushing touchdowns, and as of , he ranks 25th.

Johnson has an NFL-record three straight games with at least one receiving and one rushing touchdown. He recorded 76 rushing touchdowns and six receiving touchdowns in NFL career for a total of 82 regular season touchdowns; indicative of his utilization for short-yard needs, 63 of his rushing touchdowns came from a distance of the 5-yard line or less.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles GP GS Att Yds Avg Y/G Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum FR 1977 CIN 14 9 153 585 3.8 41.8 65 4 5 49 9.8 21 0 1 1 1978 CIN 16 10 180 762 4.2 47.6 50 7 31 236 7.6 34 0 4 2 1979 CIN 16 13 243 865 3.6 54.1 35 14 24 154 6.4 15 1 6 1 1980 CIN 12 8 186 747 4.0 62.3 57 6 21 172 8.2 28 1 2 1 1981 CIN 16 16 274 1,077 3.9 67.3 39 12 46 320 7.0 33 4 4 1 1982 CIN 9 9 156 622 4.0 69.1 21 7 31 267 8.6 25 0 1 1 1983 CIN 11 8 210 763 3.6 69.4 16 14 15 129 8.6 18 0 2 11984 SD 3 0 19 46 2.4 15.3 7 3 2 7 3.5 7 0 0 0 MIA 13 0 68 159 2.3 12.2 9 9 – – – – – 1 2Career 110 73 1,489 5,626 3.8 51.1 65 76 175 1,334 7.6 34 6 21 10

Drug charges In , Johnson and another Bengals player testified in exchange for immunity from prosecution that they had purchased cocaine from a Cincinnati plumber, and he was suspended by the NFL for four games. In 1987, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on four cocaine-related charges—and at the time of his indictment, he was selling cars in Miami; according to The New York Times archive, he was found not guilty by a Columbus jury in February 1988.

See also List of NCAA Division I FBS players with at least 50 career rushing touchdowns List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders

References

External links Ohio State Buckeyes bio College stats